Has the BJP Government in Odisha Betrayed Its Promises? Congress Raises Alarm!

Congress Critiques BJP's First Year in Odisha

Bhubaneswar: As the BJP government in Odisha marks its first anniversary, the Congress party has labeled the past year under Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi as a period of 'betrayal' for the state's residents.

The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) unveiled a 'chargesheet' outlining 23 specific areas where they believe the BJP administration has failed to deliver on its pre-election commitments ahead of the 2024 elections.

This document was presented by OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das, alongside former state Congress leaders Prasad Harichandan and Niranjan Patnaik, along with other senior party officials.

In response, senior BJP figure and Odisha Minister Prithviraj Harichandan accused the opposition of being 'blind' to the significant developmental initiatives undertaken in the past year.

He asserted that the efforts of the BJP government are steering Odisha towards progress.

Das criticized the BJP for not fulfilling its promise to reimburse chit fund investors within 18 months, stating that no action has been taken to date.

He also pointed out that the Subhadra scheme, which was supposed to provide women with a voucher of Rs 50,000, has not been fully realized, with many women left out and payments being made in small installments.

Das remarked, 'The government is disbursing Rs 10,000 in two installments annually, which equates to a mere Rs 27 per day. What can a woman achieve with such a meager amount?'

He further claimed that the government has failed to deliver on its promise of free electricity for up to 300 units each month.

The OPCC president also highlighted the BJP's commitment to 'zero corruption,' citing recent incidents where large sums of money were seized from a rural development engineer and the arrest of a deputy director by the CBI for corruption.

Harichandan, who heads the drafting committee, alleged that corruption is pervasive throughout the state government, dubbing it a 'PC (percentage) Sarkar.'

He emphasized that the BJP has let down the people of Odisha over the past year, recalling the grand promises made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders during the 2024 campaign, which he claims were based on falsehoods.

Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik criticized the government's failure to implement the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996, in Odisha.

He warned that if the government continues on its current path for another four years, it will be viewed as a regrettable chapter in Odisha's history.