Odisha Ruling Party Rebuffs Aparajita’s 5T Taunt

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD on Thursday scoffed at former IAS officer and BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi’s assertion that the Odisha government’s action plan on 5T was flawed.

Countering Sarangi’s claim, BJD leader Arup Patnaik told the media that knew what happened during the training period of probationer IAS and IPS officers.

“Probationer IAS and IPS officers are not taught about the mode of interaction with the people during the training period. That lady (Aparajita Sarangi) might have been trained on 5T, but I have learnt how to march. She will cancel the 5Ts after becoming the Chief Minister,” said the 1979-batch IPS officer.

Patnaik said that no one has any power in public life. “All MLAs and ministers are servants of the people,” he added.

In his reaction, BJD spokesperson Sasmit Patra said since Sarangi is aware of the 5T, let her clarify in which area she has implemented this plan when she was the administrator in Odisha. “All I have to say is that 5Ts is not a policy. Rather it is a charter,” he added.

On the execution of the action plan, the BJP leader had said that entrusting the responsibility for 5Ts to a single officer will dent the performance of other state departments. “I see the creation of a separate 5T department and entrusting the responsibility to an officer as an attempt to weaken the power and influence of the secretaries and ministers of the other departments. This is not a sign of good governance,” she said.