Bhubaneswar: In a sharp rebuttal to the BJD’s recent allegations regarding the Odisha Chief Minister’s new residence in Delhi, the BJP on Wednesday lambasted the Opposition party, claiming it has plunged into “extreme mental depression” following its defeat in the state elections.
BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty had accused the BJP-led government of planning to run Odisha’s administration from the national capital, while criticising Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi for availing a “luxury bungalow” in Delhi.
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Addressing a presser, BJP state general secretary Biranchi Narayan Tripathi described the BJD as a “setting sun” on the verge of fading away, asserting that its leaders are now irrationally fixated on the ruling party out of fear. “In his final moments, just as Kansa saw Krishna everywhere around him, the BJD is similarly engulfed by the fear of the BJP,” he said drawing a mythological analogy..
He accused the BJD of turning irrelevant issues into controversies and behaving erratically in the media to stay relevant. “The outbursts are as signs of desperation. The BJD is on the brink of vanishing from Odisha, which is why they are resorting to such theatrics. No one is joining them anymore—from panchayat-level leaders to MPs, everyone is turning towards the BJP in recent months. They are just doing this to stay in the media,” he said.
Tripathi defended the allotment of official quarters in Delhi, emphasising that such arrangements are practical necessities for coordination with the central government. “Under the leadership the CM, the Odisha government is working for the people’s development in close coordination with the Centre. During the previous BJD regime, decisions were made from home without visiting sites. The CM and the minister only emerged for election campaigns. When in Delhi, they stayed in ancestral homes and had no need for official residences. How would they understand this now?” he asked.
The BJP leader further pointed out that it was a prevalent practice among state governments. “Not only Odisha, but also Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Assam, Maharashtra, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan have been allotted government quarters in the national capital,” he noted, underscoring that the move is driven by operational requirements.
Turning the tables on the BJD, Tripathi reminded them of their own past actions under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. “The BJD seems to have forgotten how the previous Chief Minister barricaded a public road in front of his personal residence ‘Naveen Niwas’ in Bhubaneswar, merging it into his property and closing it off. They even breached the airport wall, causing endless problems for the common people,” he alleged.
He further criticised BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik for his limited engagement in legislative matters. “The people of Odisha have seated the BJD in the opposition benches. In the last 17 months, how many issues related to Odisha’s interests has Naveen Patnaik raised while attending Assembly sessions? It’s time for self-introspection,” he added.