Addressing a press meet in Bhubaneswar, BJD’s national spokespersons Dr Santrupt Misra and Dr Sasmit Patra said that Odisha has recorded phenomenal growth in all areas ever since the regional party came to power in the state.

Claiming that the state has posted spectacular growth in industrial as well as farm sector, they said this has been possible due to the able leadership, vision, and strong will of the Chief Minister.

The flow of investment has also increased phenomenally due to infrastructure development in the state, the BJD leaders said.

Speaking on the performance in different spheres, Misra said that the contribution of the industrial sector to the state’s economy has gone up to 41.3 per cent, compared to the national average of 28.5 per cent. This shows that the performance of Odisha is around 50 per cent ahead of other states in the industrial sector.

Similarly, the share of exports has increased from 2.2 per cent in 2016-17 to 4.1 per cent, a jump of almost 1.8 per cent, he said, adding that the gross manufacturing value add has gone up from 2.99 per cent in 2011-12 to 4.2 per cent.

Noting that 1860 industrial projects were approved in the last five years, Misra said the state received investments to the tune of Rs 11.63 lakh crore creating employment opportunities for over 7.33 lakh people during the period.

Huge employment opportunities have been created in districts like Khurda, Balasore and Jajpur as the new investors setting up ventures in Odisha are hiring from within the state, the BJD leaders said.

Foreign investment flow is increasing because of trust in the state government, they said, adding that the state has attracted investments to the tune of Rs 1.85 lakh crore in the last seven years, while more than one lakh employment opportunities have been created. More employment opportunities have been created in Khurda, Jajpur and Balasore.

As per a report of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), Odisha has received investment of over Rs 20 lakh crore, highest in the country after Maharashtra.

Addressing a special session at the World Odia Language Conference in Bhubaneswar, the 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman said the tenure from 2024 to 2029 will be a game changer for the state.

Compared to 2019-24, the next five years from 2024 to 2029 is going to be much faster, bigger, more inclusive, greener and more empowering for the people of Odisha, said Pandian.

Asserting that the state has been witnessing tremendous transformation in every sector since 2019, the BJD leader said that in the next five years, Odisha will not compete with other states but compete with the world and our target will be much bigger.

Odisha has been transforming in all spheres, including education and health care sectors, he said, adding that poverty level which stood at 68 per cent in 2000 has come down to 11 per cent. Odisha, which earlier depended on Punjab and Haryana for food, is now food surplus and supplies to many states, he said.

Stating that Odisha has done spiritual governance and not bureaucratic governance under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the it is guided by spiritual values and transformation is taking place with the blessings of ‘Mahaprabhu’ – Lord Jagannath.

Humility and transparency are the hallmarks of this governance and Odisha’s target is much bigger now, Pandian added.

This came amid speculation about his role in the ruling party, which he joined last month after taking voluntary retirement from service in October.

“Pandian today cleared his stand on fighting the upcoming elections. He himself announced that he would not contest the 2024 elections. But as a dedicated worker, he will continue to strengthen the party,” Mishra said, adding that there should be no problem if he decides to contest the polls, but people should refrain from spreading rumours.

Former Balasore MP Rabindra Kumar Jena said Pandian will work for the BJD in all 147 Assembly constituencies in the state. “The former bureaucrat will work towards strengthening the BJD under the leadership of our party president Naveen Patnaik,” he said.

BJD MLA Sandip Routray told reporters that Pandian informed the meeting that he would continue to work for the party and unite it further. “Since Odisha has gained a reputation of well-governed state, he will work to increase the popularity of the party,” he added.

An office order, signed by BJD’s general secretary Manas Mangaraj, said Jayant Naik of Bhawanipatna Assembly constituency; Manindra Mohanty, Balangir zone president of Biju Yuva Janata Dal and Siba Sahu, councillor of Ward No 7 of Bhawanaipatna Municipality have been suspended from the party.

The three leaders were suspended on the order of BJD president Naveen Patnaik. Their suspension comes into effect immediately.

Earlier in the day, the ruling party in the state had expelled Raghuram Macha of Koraput Assembly constituency from the party with immediate effect.

Speaking on the occasion, Naveen paid tributes to Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on his 154th birth anniversary, saying that he has been a source of inspiration for all. “The ruling BJD has been working to uplift downtrodden, women, ST and SC community and also the youth of the state. The women’s reservation bill, which the party has long been fighting for, has finally seen the light of the day. The government’s Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana has proved to be a game changer in health sector. The state has also set example in transforming schools, food safety and sports,” he said.

Taking a swipe at the Opposition, he added, “The Opposition is anti-development and anti-people. They only mislead people with wrong information. They indulge in such activities ahead of election because of which the people of the state have been rejecting them year after year. They also attempted to the ongoing development works at Jagannath Temple in Puri and Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. People will never elect them to power.”

The ‘padayatra’ is being organised in every ward and panchayat throughout Odisha till October 11. BJD workers and leaders will also attend training camps, which will be organised in all the assembly constituencies and monitored by district presidents, observers and other senior leaders. Blood donation camps and plantation drives will also be conducted across the state during this period, sources said.

Notably, the BJD’s ‘padayatra’ coincides with Congress’ ongoing ‘Ghar Ghar Congress’ programme, which will continue till October 15.

Manas Mangaraj, general secretary of BJD, in a press release on Monday, said Rabindra Pradhan, state general secretary of Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) has been suspended from BJD for anti-party activities with immediate effect. The BCJD is the students’ wing of the party.

Similarly, Prakash Paswan, state secretary of Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD), the youth wing of BJD, has been removed from the post.

Both orders were issued on the direction of BJP president and chief minister Naveen Patnaik, Mangaraj said in the release.

The Collector along with SP B Gangadhar were reportedly seen sporting the T-shirts during a mini marathon organised by the Mayurbhanj Special Development Council.

Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi, a former IAS officer who has been slamming the state government over a bureaucrat calling the shots, strongly disapproved the Mayurbhanj collector wearing such a T-shirt. “Very unfortunate as well as ridiculous! Collector, Mayurbhanj, Odisha! Degeneration of the official standards to this extent. These officials must know that season is not the same always,” she wrote on X.

Later speaking to media, BJP vice president Lekhasri Samantsinghar also slammed Mayurbhanj Collector and SP for wearing BJD‘s T-shirts with CM‘s logo. “This is a display of disregard for constitutional values. The collector must be aware that it is against the conduct rules to express allegiance to any particular party. There is a strict separation of powers between the legislative, executive, and judiciary in the Constitution.” she said.

The BJP leader said that the officers are sending a wrong signal to the society, particularly youth who look up to them as role models. “I would like to tell Vineet Bharadwaj that he has a long career ahead of him and there is no guarantee that the BJD will continue to remain in power. Therefore, he should concentrate on his job and not engage in party activities. I also hope that he realises that he has committed a grave mistake by wearing that T-shirt,” she said.

Lekhasri added that by involving government officials in such activities, the BJD has also indicated that it no longer trusts its party workers. 

Notably, Aparajita too had earlier accused the ruling BJD of engaging government officials in party programmes. She tweeted about a government official addressing a Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) meeting and also shared a video of master book keepers of Self Help Groups (SHG) taking oath to ‘obey’ a BJD MLA.

Last month, she raised the use of helicopter by 5T secretary V K Pandian, a 2000-batch IAS officer, to travel 30 km to 40 km from the state capital. She also disapproved of officers taking on the mantle of an elected representative. “The MPs and MLAs are not visible and the Chief Minister is under house arrest,” she had alleged, stepping up her attack on the ruling dispensation.

On June 28, she along with BJP Odisha unit president Manmohan Samal had lodged a complaint with the DoPT against the Odisha cadre officer whom they accused of clearly violating the Conduct Rules for the All India Service (AIS) personnel by conducting public meetings and announcing new government schemes.

The saffron party also alleged that the ministers, MLAs and MPs of ruling BJD have accepted the slavery of the bureaucrat.

In his defence, the collector told the media that it was a government event.

The deceased has been identified as Madhusudhan Bisoyi (40), a resident of Kumarpani village. Two persons have been detained by the police in connection with the incident.

According to sources, Madhusudan was returning to his village at Kumarapani when three to four unidentified miscreants in a car and bikes intercepted him at a river bridge. They attacked him with swords and other weapons and threw him off the river bridge.

Though Madhusudan was rescued and rushed to a hospital, he was declared dead by the doctors. While the murder was suspected to have taken place due to some past rivalry, the exact reason will be ascertained after a thorough investigation. The incident could also be the fallout of some ongoing political rivalry.

The police have started an investigation into the incident. The two persons detained by the police are being interrogated.

According to sources, he was admitted to the hospital two days ago. He breathed his last around 10.50 pm.

He was formerly an OAS officer. He joined BJD last year and played his part in the party’s win in Padampur byelection in December 2022.

According to BJD sources, his mortal remains will be taken to Sankha Bhawan here around 7.30 am on Friday to allow people pay their tributes to the departed soul.

Patro, also a former Minister, had been ailing for the last several months and breathed his last at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar this evening, family sources said. He was admitted to the hospital after his health condition deteriorated.

A seven-time MLA, he represented Digapahandi in the present Assembly. Patro had won the Mohana Assembly seat for the first time in 1990. He also served the state as a Minister holding different portfolios.

He had stepped down from the post of Assembly Speaker in June, last year due to health reasons.

Leaders from different political parties and distinguished persons from different spheres rushed to the hospital to pay their last respects to late leader.