Bhubaneswar: Terming the BJP government in Odisha as incompetent, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday claimed that people from all sections are suffering and the future of Gen Z looks bleak because of its misrule.
Speaking at a gathering during the BJD’s Jan Sampark Padayatra here, the former chief minister said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is focused on its own growth rather than the development of the state.
While the BJD’s sole agenda was development of Odisha, the present ‘double-engine’ government’s primary objective is the development of their own party, alleged Naveen, who is also the leader of opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly.
Targeting the government led by Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, the five-time chief minister alleged that farmers, women, the elderly, the poor and the middle class were all suffering under the present dispensation. “The future of Gen Z is bleak,” he said.
The BJD chief also alleged that rising prices of essential commodities were causing widespread distress, while the government remained indifferent.
“The Odisha government ranks number one in the entire country when it comes to incompetence,” he asserted.
Naveen urged BJD workers to stand with the people and expose what he called the “real face” of the state government.
The BJD supremo joined the party’s mass outreach programme for the third time. The Jan Sampark Padayatra began across Odisha on Gandhi Jayanti on October 2 and is scheduled to continue till November 2.
During his previous participation in the programme on October 9, Naveen had accused the Majhi government of failing to protect the state’s interests, particularly in connection with the passage of the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2026, in Parliament.
The former CM claimed that Odisha had emerged as a model state for rapid development during the BJD’s tenure from 2000 to 2024, but alleged that the BJP government had tarnished its image. “The name we earned over 24 years has been spoiled by the BJP government in just two and a half years,” he said.
The BJD has opposed the new mining law, claiming it would deprive the state of Rs 1 lakh crore in revenue from levies on mine owners.
The party has demanded its repeal and organised a rally in Bhubaneswar during the monsoon session of the state Assembly.
Apart from the mining law, BJD leaders have been protesting alleged large-scale errors in school textbooks, deletion of more than 27 lakh voters from electoral rolls during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), and law-and-order issues.