Bhubaneswar: The student wings of the Opposition BJD and the Congress Thursday accused Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi of breaching his oath of office by “favouring” the RSS-affiliated ABVP in the campus elections.
Addressing separate press conferences here, BJD student wing president Ipsita Sahu and NSUI state president Bibhuti Mohapatra alleged that Majhi misused government machinery to favour the ABVP in campus polls.
The criticism comes a day after Majhi stated that his government gave the go-ahead for last month’s students’ union elections across colleges and universities in the state only after the ABVP assured him of victory.
Sahu alleged that Majhi had undermined the dignity of the constitutional office of the chief minister with his action.
She also claimed that the ABVP and BJP Yuva Morcha had misused government machinery to influence campus elections.
BJD youth wing president Chinmay Sahu, who was also present at the press conference, questioned whether Majhi was the “chief minister of Odisha or of the ABVP”.
“He (Majhi) had taken the oath of office as the chief minister of the entire state of Odisha to serve all the people. However, he has violated that oath by openly supporting the ABVP in the students’ union elections,” he told reporters.
He also alleged that the Chief Minister’s Office interfered in the campus polls and that the elections were deliberately cancelled in colleges where the BJD’s student wing had a strong organisational presence.
He further claimed that vote counting was delayed in institutions where BJD-backed candidates had won, citing the example of Rama Devi Women’s University in Bhubaneswar, where results were declared several hours after voting.
He further alleged that Majhi congratulated winning ABVP candidates at a government programme in Cuttack and appealed to students to join the organisation and work for it.
NSUI’s Mohapatra alleged that BJP leaders had actively participated in the campus polls.
He claimed that elections were cancelled in 209 colleges and three universities where the ABVP was likely to lose.
ABVP national working committee member Biswajit Patra, however, accused the Opposition of levelling false allegations to hog limelight.
Colleges and universities across Odisha held students’ union elections last month after an eight-year gap.
Addressing a state-level conference of the ABVP Wednesday, Majhi said, “A number of questions were raised over holding students’ union elections in the state. There were different views on whether the ABVP was prepared for the campus elections.
“I granted permission for conducting the campus polls only after the state ABVP leaders assured me of their victory. Finally, the ABVP registered a grand success in the campus elections. This is called the power of organisation.”
