TNI Bureau: On behalf of the Biju Janata Dal and BJD President Naveen Patnaik, BJD MP Sasmit Patra raised party’s deep disappointment with the President’s Address where Odisha’s issues and concerns were absent and silent.
“This speech is full of empty rhetoric, with hopeful promises and a vision clouded in ambiguity. It is detached from reality, disconnected from the struggles of the people. Rather than presenting real solutions, it rehashes recycled promises and avoids addressing the nation’s most pressing issues,”Patra said.
The BJD MP further said that in President’s speech, the phrase “my Government” was used 55 times, but terms like “my people” or “my states” were not mentioned once. This address was clearly for the Government, by the Government, and of the Government—not for the people.
“The President’s Address sidestepped the real concerns of the nation. It fails to acknowledge rising inflation, high unemployment, farmer distress, and the government’s failure in addressing farmer issues, such as doubling income, increasing Minimum Support Prices (MSP), and implementing the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations. For nearly two decades, the Biju Janata Dal and the 4.5 crore people of Odisha have demanded Special Category State status. Despite the President’s own experience with Odisha’s challenges, including devastating cyclones, this critical demand was not addressed in the speech,” Sasmit added.
“The Address is also silent on other pressing issues facing Odisha: the Polavaram and Mahanadi disputes, the non-revision of coal royalty, the lack of Green Tax implementation, inadequate national highways, poor railway connectivity, and insufficient mobile and digital infrastructure. Moreover, it ignores the long-standing demand for the inclusion of 139 communities in the ST list, as well as the inclusion of Ho, Mundari, Bhumij, Kui, and Saora languages in the 8th Schedule of the Constitution. Additionally, the President’s Address fails to mention the need for complete withdrawal of 18% GST on Kendu Leaf, a livelihood source for 10 lakh tribal women in Odisha. This has been consistently demanded by our leader Naveen Patnaik. The silence in the President’s Address is loud, as it fails to acknowledge the real issues faced by the people of Odisha, while offering praise for government achievements,” BJD President Sasmit Patra mentioned.
“This Address highlights a government-focused narrative that disregards the people’s struggles, especially Odisha’s long-standing demand for Special Category status”, he said.