Industries Minister Sampad Swain has openly criticized former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s remarks on the law and order situation in Odisha.
Swain dismissed Patnaik’s comments as “laughable,” pointing to the BJD’s 25-year rule and citing high-profile criminal cases as evidence of governance failures.
The criticism comes in the wake of an attack on former Dharmasala MLA Pranab Kumar Balabantaray in Jajpur district. Balabantaray accused local MLA Himanshu Sekhar Sahoo of shielding the attackers, while Sahoo attributed the incident to internal BJD disputes. Naveen Patnaik condemned the attack, calling it a reflection of the state’s deteriorating safety and urging police action based on viral video evidence.
The incident has intensified political tensions, with Swain claiming the BJD is facing internal dissent and a collapse of discipline.
