Naveen Patnaik Accuses BJP Govt In Odisha Of Hijacking BJD Achievements; Minister Counters

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Odisha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Thursday accused the BJP regime of trying to hijack the credits for the achievements made by the previous government.

Speaking about Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati’s address in the Assembly on the first day of the budget session, the former Chief Minister claimed that the BJP government is trying to take credit for many of the achievements of the previous BJD government through the Governor’s speech.

Instead of resorting to such method, BJP should focus on addressing critical issues like the deteriorating law and order situation, rising prices, and unemployment, Naveen told reporters.

Speaking in same vein, BJD leader Goutam Buddha Das criticised the Governor over his speech and claimed that Kambhampati is new to Odisha and lacks an understanding of the state’s ground realities. He alleged that the Governor merely read out a script prepared by the state government without independent insight.

Countering Naveen’s allegation, Industries Minister Sampad Chandra Swain said the BJD president to reflect on his statements. Swain highlighted the BJP government’s initiatives, including Subhadra Yojana for women, hike in the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers to Rs 3,100, and fulfilling election promises. He also claimed that there has been improvement in the law and order situation under the current administration.

Swain further pointed to the success of the recent Utkarsh Odisha-Make in Odisha Conclave 2025, where investment intents worth Rs 16.78 lakh crore were received, and MoUs worth Rs 13 lakh crore were signed. “These initiatives will generate massive employment opportunities in the state,” he said, contrasting it with the investment outcomes during Patnaik’s tenure.

The budget session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly began on Thursday with Governor Kambhampati’s address, where he outlined the state government’s achievements over the past eight months. He highlighted the government’s efforts to empower the poor, youth, farmers, and women through landmark decisions.