Naveen launches scathing attack on Mohan Majhi government leading a massive BJD demonstration

Naveen Patnaik criticizes Odisha government for rising prices and lack of action, calling it a "double engine, double blow" administration.

Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Monday (January 6, 2025) criticised the Mohan Majhi-led Odisha government in Bhubaneswar, terming it a “double engine, double blow” administration.

“The BJP government came to power in June, and seven months have passed since then. However, all we hear are long speeches, with little action on the ground. Prices of essential commodities continue to rise, yet no concrete measures have been taken. While this government claims to represent the people, it appears disconnected from their joys and struggles,” the former Chief Minister said.

Mr. Patnaik said, “Be it pulses, edible oil, groceries, medicines, or vegetables — prices of essential commodities are skyrocketing. The government seems to have lost control over the market, content instead with spinning tales that do little to address the crisis. Life has become an everyday struggle for ordinary citizens.”

“Unseasonal rains and crop losses have pushed farmers to the brink, leading to an alarming rise in suicides. Meanwhile, some leaders are preoccupied with self-promotion, oblivious to the pain around them. Markets are filled with restless people, mothers in despair, and farmers on the verge of breaking, while the government remains in a state of deep slumber,” said the former Chief Minister.

“This government came to power by peddling lies and making false promises. The BJP has ascended to power despite receiving fewer votes than the BJD. The so-called ‘double engine’ has delivered a ‘double blow’ — on one hand, the relentless burden of inflation, and on the other, GST imposed on virtually everything,” he continued.

“The BJP had shown a rosy picture in its trailer. But the film that followed is ‘MM (Mohan Majhi) Sarkar—Mahanga Mada (price rise) Sarkar. The protest of four-and-a-half crore Odias will expose the real face of the government,” said the veteran leader.

Meanwhile, reports of farmer deaths due to crop loss caused by unseasonal rain are coming from different parts of the State. Many farmers are either taking their own lives or succumbing to shock in their fields. Two spells of unseasonal rainfall in the last week of December, just as paddy crops had ripened, dashed their hopes for a bumper harvest.