Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday accused the Mohan Majhi government in Odisha of reneging on its 2014 election promise to fight for a special category status for the state.
It also sought a clarification from the CM regarding this long-standing demand.
In a press conference held at Shankha Bhavan here, Rajya Sabha member Sasmit Patra pointed out that Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary on February 10 informed the Rajya Sabha that there was “no proposal under consideration” of the Centre for granting special category status to Odisha.
“We need clarification from the chief minister. The BJP, in its 2014 election manifesto, had specified that the party would work towards special category status for Odisha if it came to power. Almost two years have passed since, but the BJP government has not moved an inch to fulfil the poll promise,” Patra alleged.
The MP challenged the Chief Minister to pass a resolution in the state cabinet this evening, formally demanding the Centre to accord special category status to Odisha. “If not, it means the double-engine government is cheating 4.5 crore people of the state,”
he said.
Patra further mentioned the past efforts by the previous BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik, which he claimed consistently pushed for this status. He also recalled a major rally organised by the party in Delhi in 2012 to press the demand.
The Naveen Patnaik government had also undertaken a massive signature campaign, involving nearly one crore people, which was submitted to the then President.
The BJD’s renewed attack has come amid ongoing discontent over perceived neglect of Odisha’s developmental needs, including in recent Union Budgets that have ignored key demands like SCS and coal royalty revisions, as Patra has previously noted in his parliamentary interventions.
Special category status, a designation historically granted to certain hilly, border, or economically backward states, offers higher central grants, tax concessions, and other fiscal benefits to accelerate development. Odisha has long argued its case based on vulnerability to natural disasters, tribal populations, and infrastructure gaps, though no new states have received the status in recent years following changes in criteria.
The issue was reportedly raised for the first time in the National Development Council (NDC) in 1979. Thereafter, the assembly passed several resolutions for the special category status for Odisha, as the state often faces natural calamities and therefore requires special financial assistance to boost development. Resolutions to this effect were passed in the 10th and 11th assembly, PTI reported, quoting officials.