Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik on Monday convened a high-level meeting at Naveen Nivas and issued clear instructions to intensify the demand for the resignation of Odisha’s School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over the recent textbook error controversy.
Senior party leaders were tasked with preparing a widespread agitation across the state. Sources said Naveen also expressed serious concern over the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, directing the leadership to ensure that no genuine voters’ names are deleted during the process. Discussions also covered preparations for the upcoming panchayat elections and internal organisational matters.
The meeting, held at noon, was attended by key figures including former ministers Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Arun Kumar Sahoo and Sanjay Das Burma, Opposition Deputy Leader Prasanna Acharya, and MLA Gautam Buddha Das.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, Prasanna Acharya was categorical: “Errors in school textbooks are a crime. The minister must resign immediately. Students and various organisations are already protesting across the state. The Crime Branch investigation is nothing but a farce.”
Following Naveen’s directives, the senior leaders proceeded to Shankh Bhawan, where they held discussions with the leadership of the party’s women’s, youth and student wings. While multiple strategies for an anti-government movement demanding the minister’s resignation were deliberated, no final action plan was finalised. Party insiders indicated that a statewide agitation aimed at putting the government under pressure is under active consideration.
The textbook controversy has already triggered protests by students and civil society groups, and the BJD’s decision to escalate the issue signals a sharper opposition strategy in the coming weeks.
Naveen Patnaik Demands Resignation of Minister Nityananda Gond Over Textbook Errors
