Launching a blistering attack on the current state administration, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das stated that the people of Odisha are utterly unaware of the government’s existence.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan on Wednesday, Das targeted the Chief Minister, calling the performance of the Water Resources and Home Departments—both held by the CM—highly disappointing.
Das heavily criticized the government’s handling of the recent cyclones and floods. He alleged that despite receiving early warnings, the Water Resources Department failed to release water from dams in a timely manner, plunging millions into misery. Pointing out the devastation in Ganjam, Gajapati, and Kandhamal districts, the PCC chief demanded that the Chief Minister take strict administrative action against the responsible engineers and officials. He further urged state ministers to leave their offices and remain grounded in the affected areas.
The Congress leader also lashed out at the government over “negligible” compensation for farmers whose crops were ravaged by the floods. Calculating the losses, Das noted that at a minimum yield of 20 quintals of paddy per acre, a farmer should receive at least ₹62,000 based on the Minimum Support Price (MSP). Instead, the government is handing out a mere ₹8,500. “How can this heartless government not even consider offering 50% compensation to the food providers who have lost everything?” he questioned.
Addressing the ongoing Kotia border dispute with Andhra Pradesh, Das accused the former BJD government of incompetence and the current BJP government of absolute inaction. “The BJD slept on the Kotia issue for 24 years, and the BJP has been sleeping for two and a half years; it was the Congress that woke them up,” he remarked. Claiming that the government only acted after Congress initiated protests against Andhra Pradesh’s high-handedness, he reminded the “double-engine” government of its responsibility to strictly enforce the Supreme Court’s status quo order. He assured that the Congress stands firmly with the state and urged all parties to unite to tackle the border crisis.
Concluding, Das accused the state government of acting solely as a protector of capitalist interests. He alleged that the ruling dispensation is eyeing Odisha’s rich mineral resources, handing over valuable mines to large industrialists at throwaway prices. He issued a stern warning that the Congress would launch massive state-wide agitations if the government continued to ignore the plight of the displaced populations while enriching corporate entities.
