Bhubaneswar, February 13: Former Odisha Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has accused the BJP government of taking undue credit for the achievements of the previous BJD regime.
Reacting to Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati’s address in the Odisha Assembly on Thursday, Patnaik claimed that the BJP-led state government was misrepresenting past successes as its own.
“In today’s Governor’s address, the BJP government attempted to take credit for numerous achievements of my government. Instead of misleading the public, they should focus on addressing critical issues such as deteriorating law and order, rising inflation, and unemployment,” Patnaik told reporters.
Responding to Patnaik’s remarks, Industry Minister Sampad Chandra Swain defended the BJP government’s record and urged the former CM to reflect on his tenure.
“We have introduced landmark schemes like the Subhadra Yojana for women, increased the minimum support price (MSP) for farmers to Rs 3,100, and are delivering on our electoral commitments. Under our leadership, the law and order situation is better than during the BJD government’s tenure,” Swain stated.
Highlighting recent economic strides, Swain added, “At the Utkarsh Odisha-Make In Odisha Conclave-2025, we secured investment intents worth Rs 16.78 lakh crore, with MoUs signed for Rs 13 lakh crore. These investments will generate large-scale employment. The people of Odisha are well aware of how many MoUs were signed and how much investment materialized during the former CM’s tenure.”
The Odisha Assembly’s budget session started on Thursday with Governor Kambhampati’s inaugural address, where he focused on the BJP government’s key initiatives over the past eight months.
The third session of the 17th Odisha Legislative Assembly, set to continue in two phases until April 5, will have 28 working days. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who serves as the Finance Minister, is scheduled to present the state budget on February 17.