Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD Thursday questioned the Odisha BJP government’s decision to construct new buildings for Lok Seva Bhawan and the legislative assembly for Rs 3,623 crore, alleging that farmers are being denied a Rs 800 per quintal paddy assistance.
The party raised the issue two days after Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi laid the foundation stone for the projects, proposed to be developed over 71 acres at the existing sites.
“There is no need to build new buildings at such a high cost at this point of time. The government’s move is aimed at diverting public attention from its series of failures,” BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty told a press conference.
BJD MLA Gautam Buddha Das, who was also present at the press meet, said while the BJP government refused to give Rs 800 bonus to farmers, there is no clarity on whether provisions have been made in the state budget for this project costing Rs 3,623 crore.
“There was no proper information earlier about these building projects. Due to failures in various sectors and public anger, the state government has brought such gimmicky projects,” Das said, adding that the CM mentions delimitation and claims that the number of Assembly seats could increase to 200, but there is no clarity on this.
Stating that delimitation work will begin only after the Census is completed, Das said, therefore, until delimitation happens, it cannot be said whether the number of assembly seats will increase or decrease.
“Hence, the government’s logic of an increase in the number of seats is not acceptable. The state government is only using this project as a weapon to divert attention from its failures,” he alleged.
After laying the foundation stone, Majhi had stated that the new Assembly building is required keeping in view the possible increase of MLA seats in the state after delimitation.
He also justified a new building for Lok Seva Bhawan as the present one was 70 years’ old and not sufficient to handle pressure of work.
Das, however, said in the 18 months of BJP rule, the law and order situation in the state has deteriorated, and the state’s financial condition has worsened.
“After disrupting the financial discipline of a prosperous Odisha in these 18 months, Odisha is on the verge of becoming a debt-ridden state. When the BJD government left power in 2024, the state’s debt burden was Rs 78,000 crore, whereas the BJP government has borrowed Rs 91,000 crore in just one-and-a-half years,” the lawmaker from Bhograi in Balasore district, said.
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