Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD and Congress Thursday came down heavily on Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and other BJP leaders for visiting Delhi amid floods in the state.
Both the parties, in separate press conferences, attacked the state government and accused it of lacking sincerity in tackling the calamity, which has affected 20 of the 30 districts of the state.
“Are Odisha’s BJP leaders feasting in Delhi amid the horrors of the floods in the state? While the entire state is reeling from flood conditions due to relentless heavy rain, the CM and BJP’s top leaders and MPs are currently in Delhi.
“In such untimely circumstances, what could be more serious than the safety of their own people?” Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and BJD president Naveen Patnaik said.
Patnaik, in a social media post, said that people were facing acute hardships due to the floods.
“The news of multiple innocent lives being lost in the floods has left me, along with the entire Odia populace, deeply distressed,” he said in an X post.
Patnaik said accusations of governmental neglect are pouring in thick and fast.
“Every life is valuable is Odisha’s mantra while tackling natural disasters. Adhering to this ideal, the state had earned global acclaim for its resolute response to all calamities,” he said.
The LoP urged the state’s BJP government to stand with the affected persons and ensure their safety.
“People’s representatives are failing to effectively manage the flood situation and are abandoning them,” he alleged.
BJD leader Pritiranjan Gharai alleged that the CM’s tour at this time showed the lack of sincerity of the state government.
“While several parts of the state remained submerged and flood-affected people faced immense hardships, essential supplies did not reach many affected areas. The CM’s decision to visit Delhi at such a critical juncture reflects the state government’s lack of sincerity in extending the necessary support and assistance to flood victims,” Gharai told reporters.
Senior Congress leaders — former Union minister Srikant Jena and former OPCC president Niranjan Patnaik — also came down heavily on the BJP dispensation and accused it of adopting a negligent attitude towards the floods in the state.
Niranjan Patnaik said a government preparation meeting two months before monsoon should have been conducted to deal with such situations.
The government does not have real information about the floods, he alleged.
Jena said Odisha has seen floods after 12 years.
“The CM’s Delhi visit in such a situation has created despair. The state government should try to save lives and property of the people,” Jena said.
CMO sources said Majhi was on an official three-day visit to Delhi during which he attended a high-level tripartite meeting on the Mahanadi water dispute with Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai and Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil.