Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s main opposition party, Bjiu Janata Dal, Thursday launched a month-long state-wide ‘Jan Sampark Padayatra’ to “make people aware” of the alleged failures of the state’s BJP government.
The regional party’s annual foot march, which usually starts on Gandhi Jayanti every year, was this year delayed due to Dussehra, BJD’s senior vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said.
The programme will cover all the 147 assembly constituencies and 314 blocks of Odisha before culminating November 9, Mishra said.
Before launching the foot march, BJD senior leaders garlanded the statues of ‘Panch Sakha’ at Sakhigopal in Puri district. The ‘Pancha Sakha’ or five friends are 16th-century poet-saints — Achyutananda Das, Ananta Das, Jasovanta Das, Jagannatha Das, and Balarama Das — who have deeply influenced both Oriya spiritualism and literature.
The foot-march started at Balapur in Sakhigopal and continued till Suando village, the birthplace of Utkalamani Gopabandhu Das, a freedom fighter, social reformer, journalist and educationist.
Opposition chief whip in the assembly, Pramila Mallik, said that BJD leaders will visit every village and create awareness among the people about the “failures of the BJP government in maintaining law and order and ensuring security for women”, and how the saffron leaders “mislead women in name of Subhadra scheme”.
She alleged that other than changing the names of schemes, the Mohan Charan Majhi government has done nothing for people’s welfare in the last 15 months.
BJP’s promise of creating an “alcohol-free Odisha” has become a farce, she claimed.
Mishra said that the party leaders would also highlight how ‘Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana’, a health scheme launched by the BJD government, was beneficial for the people, but after the introduction of Ayushman Bharat, people are struggling to get free healthcare services.
Similarly, the party will also highlight how the BJP government failed to provide fertiliser to farmers when they required it the most.
This is for the first time that the BJD will hold its annual outreach programme — Jan Sampark Padayatra — while in the Opposition.
Party president Naveen Patnaik used to launch the padayatra every year but this time, he was not available.
“People love and respect Naveen babu. His popularity draws crowds in BJD’s processions,” the party’s Bhubaneswar unit president and former minister Ashok Panda said.
“People’s faith remains unshaken, and BJD is voicing their concerns. Under the strong leadership of President Shri Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha), let us join in large numbers the party’s Janasampark Padayatra from October 9 to November 9. Let us resolve to move forward unitedly for the rights and entitlements of the people of Odisha,” the BJD said in a post on its X handle.
Meanwhile, senior BJP leader and Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Naik slammed the BJD for “using Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das’ name for political gains”.
“People across Odisha know that the BJP’s 15-month-old government has served people and fulfilled most of its promises made to the people before the elections. The BJD starting its political programme from Utkalmani’s birthplace is a clear case of the regional party’s attempt to take political mileage from Pandit Gopabandhu Das’ name and fame,” the minister claimed.
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