The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Odisha has launched a blistering attack on the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government, accusing it of ‘misrule and misdeed’ over the past 25 years. On Wednesday, the BJP released a booklet titled ’25 Years’ Box of Sins’ that details a litany of charges against the ruling party, including corruption, misgovernance, anti-farmer policies, atrocities against women, distress migration, rising unemployment, protection of criminals, and anti-tribal deeds.
Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav, while addressing a press meet marking the release of the booklet, stated that the accusations were not based on imagination but on facts obtained from government statistics. He emphasized that the basic principles of governance, such as ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ (together, for everyone’s growth, with everyone’s trust and everyone’s endeavor), have been derailed in Odisha.
Odisha BJP chief Manmohan Samal alleged that democratic structures in the state have crumbled and power has become concentrated in the hands of a small group of bureaucrats, rendering MLAs and Ministers powerless. He highlighted that fear is not instilled by criminals alone, but by the bureaucrats themselves.
The saffron party has carefully crafted its strategy by portraying V.K. Pandian, a close aide of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, as the face of corruption and mismanagement. In the 60-page booklet, Pandian is mentioned in 15 separate pages, depicting different facial expressions, while the image of the Odisha Chief Minister appears only on 10 pages.
The booklet alleges that the highly publicized 5T transformation is a conspiracy orchestrated by a non-Odia bureaucrat to consolidate all authority into his own hands. It claims that the entire administration is being manipulated to promote his agenda and that project implementation is being handed over to non-Odia contractors and companies.
The BJP further accuses the BJD of a ₹3,400 crore scam in the name of transformation, involving the refurbishment of old school structures with a fresh coat of paint. It alleges that this deceit has led to the collapse of the education system and is a calculated plot to sabotage the prospects of Odia students, instilling fear that educated Odias might challenge non-Odia rule in the state.
The booklet also claims that V.K. Pandian, a non-Odia leader within the BJD, has compromised the sanctity of the revered Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri by allowing a beef-eating social influencer to enter. It asserts that this non-Odia leader holds sway in the government despite having no understanding of Odia traditions, which is an insult to the 4.5 crore Odias perpetrated by the BJD.
