The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has launched a blistering attack on the ruling dispensation, accusing the government of systematically subverting college elections out of sheer terror of Gen Z and the student community.
Addressing a press meet, BJD Senior General Secretary Sri Pritiranjan Ghadei and Media Coordinator Dr Lenin Mohanty asserted that the ruling party made grand boasts about student democracy during the 2024 polls, only to repeatedly block campus elections for the last two years.
Recalling the timeline of suppression, the BJD leaders noted that student elections were initially stalled for three years due to the COVID-19 pandemic, followed by another three years where motivated disruptions by the BJP prevented any democratic exercises. According to the BJD, once the ‘Double Engine’ government assumed power, they continued to suppress campus polls because they fundamentally feared the youth.
“This year, the Double Engine Government attempted to test the student mood, only to realise very quickly that the youth are completely disillusioned with the BJP and its student wing,” the leaders stated. They alleged that when the ruling establishment recognised impending defeat on campuses, a systematic process of selective cancellations, disqualifications, and administrative interference was immediately triggered.
The BJD leaders levelled serious allegations against the bureaucratic hierarchy, claiming that the Chief Secretary, Director General of Police (DGP), District Collectors (DCs), and college principals have been directly co-opted and pressured to intervene under explicit instructions from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) and the Higher Education Minister.
When administrative manipulation failed to achieve the desired outcome, the government allegedly resorted to outright intimidation. “When nothing worked, violence has been unleashed to create an atmosphere of fear amongst students,” they charged.
Concluding their remarks, the BJD leaders emphasised that the writing is on the wall: “The message is loud and clear—the students have rejected the Double Engine Government and its student wing. It is BCJD all the way.”
