Odisha's Education Minister Faces Calls for Resignation Amid Textbook Errors
Demand for Resignation Over Textbook Mistakes
Photo: @ians_india/X
Bhubaneswar, July 27: Naveen Patnaik, the President of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, has called for the resignation of Nityananda Gond, the state's School and Mass Education Minister, due to significant errors found in the newly published textbooks for students from Class I to VIII.
During a press conference, Patnaik stated, “There have been numerous inaccuracies in the textbooks used by students in our state. The Education Minister, Nityananda Gond, should take a cue from Dharmendra Pradhan and resign from his position. This has been the BJD's demand for the last two to three weeks.”
Following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the NEET paper leak scandal, opposition parties in Odisha have ramped up their calls for Gond's resignation regarding the textbook errors.
On Sunday, Bhakta Charan Das, President of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), warned that if the state government does not act on their demand for Gond's resignation within the next week, the Congress party would initiate an Odisha Bandh.
Das also threatened to stage a protest outside the residence of the Odisha School and Mass Education Minister to demand his resignation.
In response, Bibhuti Bhusan Jena, Odisha's Minister for Mines, Commerce, and Transport, dismissed Patnaik's call for Gond's resignation as unfounded and politically motivated, asserting that such demands are a typical tactic of the opposition.
Jena commended Pradhan for his prompt action in the examination paper leak case, which included ordering a CBI investigation and allowing students to retake the exam.
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has also accused both the BJD and Congress of engaging in political opportunism.