Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of the Opposition in the Odisha Assembly, Naveen Patnaik, on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, saying he should take responsibility for the violence against students protesting in the national capital.
The Centre has sanctioned six projects worth Rs 350 crore under the Sagarmala Scheme for Odisha, while 52 other projects with a proposed investment of Rs 56,000 crore have been identified under the Sagarmala programme to strengthen the state's port-led infrastructure and maritime economy, Union Minister for Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal informed the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday said the induction of former party MLA Pravat Ranjan Biswal into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would have no bearing on its organisational strength, while accusing the saffron party of compromising its moral stand by admitting a leader facing trial in the Seashore chit fund scam.
Despite being one of the country's richest mineral-producing districts, Keonjhar continues to offer limited livelihood opportunities to its poorest tribal communities, forcing many to migrate to other States in search of work, the opposition party alleged.
Announcing a statewide 'Shiksha Banchao Abhiyan' (Save Education Campaign) from July 9 to 15, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday said its youth and student wings would stage protests across Odisha over alleged errors in school textbooks, accusing the BJP government of jeopardising primary education.
The political landscape in Odisha has undergone a seismic shift, with the election result ending Naveen Patnaik’s unbroken 24-year tenure as chief minister.
As the stage is set for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to replace the 24-year-old BJD Government in the coastal State, all eyes are on who will head the maiden government of the saffron party as animated suspense over the pick of new Chief Minister lingers on.
The new chief minister of the maiden BJP Government in Odisha will be sworn in on 12 June as suspense over the name of the new chief minister has become a topic of animated discussion across the coastal State.
Commenting on the electoral defeat, Patnaik said: “In democracy, you either win or lose, so having been defeated after a long time, we must take the verdict of the people gracefully."
Empowering the non-Odia to singlehandedly manage party affairs and electioneering is widely believed to be a factor in the electoral debacle of the regional party.
