Naveen Patnaik Urges BJD to Uncover BJP's Alleged Governance Failures

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday urged his party leaders to expose what he termed as the "lies" of Odisha's ruling BJP government, which is set to mark its first year in power on June 20. Speaking via video conference, Patnaik criticized the BJP for allegedly undermining the progress initiated by his government during his tenure as chief minister from 2000 to 2024.

According to Patnaik, the BJP government has been preoccupied with changing the names and schemes of welfare projects, which he claims has led to significant setbacks in areas such as healthcare and economic opportunity for the state's youth. He specifically pointed to changes in the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana health insurance scheme, replaced by the Ayushman Bharat program, which he argues has complicated patient access to medical services.

BJD senior leaders, including Debi Prasad Mishra and Pramila Mallick, joined Patnaik in condemning the one-year performance of the BJP government. They raised concerns over the apparent lack of progress in employment and education, continuing incidents of violence, and alleged instances of impunity for politically connected individuals.

(With inputs from agencies.)