Bhubaneswar/New Delhi, January 30: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) MP Sasmit Patra on Thursday accused the BJP-led central government of failing to deliver on its promise to grant special category status to Odisha, a commitment made in the BJP's 2014 election manifesto.
Patra claimed that despite the BJP being in power both in Delhi and Odisha, the party had not fulfilled its promise, suggesting that the BJP was "backtracking" on its commitment.
After an all-party meeting ahead of Parliament's budget session, Patra said his party would raise multiple issues, including rising prices and unemployment. He emphasized that BJD chief Naveen Patnaik had instructed party members to push strongly for the special category status during the parliamentary session.
"This has been a long-standing demand for the last two decades," Patra noted. "BJD, the people of Odisha, and former CM Naveen Patnaik have been advocating for this. The BJP's 2014 manifesto specifically promised to grant special category status to Odisha. Now that they are in power in both Delhi and Odisha, the question is why is this promise still unfulfilled? BJD will raise this issue strongly," he added.
Patra also highlighted concerns related to farmers, particularly those suffering losses due to unseasonal rains, and reaffirmed that the party would advocate for measures to support them.
The BJP gained power in Odisha last year, ousting the BJD government led by Naveen Patnaik.
The all-party meeting, held at the Parliament Annexe building in New Delhi, was attended by leaders from various political parties, including Congress' Jairam Ramesh, K Suresh, and Gaurav Gogoi, TMC's Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Derek O'Brien, as well as RSP's NK Premachandran, DMK's TR Baalu, Samajwadi Party's Ram Gopal Yadav, and JMM's Mahua Maji.
President Droupadi Murmu is scheduled to address a joint sitting of both houses of Parliament on January 31, and the Union Budget will be presented on February 1.
