Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been at the helm of power in Odisha for an uninterrupted 23 years. Naveen Patnaik has been the chief minister of Odisha for over two decades.
On July 3, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) slammed the state’s CM Naveen Patnaik-led BJD government, releasing disturbing data on the state’s economy, crime, education, and employment.
Taking to Twitter, BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal posted a video of him showing some placards with statistics about Odisha indicating where the state stands with 23 years of the BJD in power.
“23 years of uninterrupted rule of Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister of Odisha. Where stands #Odisha? What is the ground reality of Odisha and what is narrated in national media?” Biswal tweeted.
23 years of uninterrupted rule of Naveen Patnaik as Chief Minister of Odisha.
— Anil Biswal (@BiswalAnil) July 3, 2023
Where stands #Odisha? What is the ground reality of Odisha and what is narrated in national media?
If you have any doubt on facts please comment, I will share the source. pic.twitter.com/CT0PfbHw25
Biswal claimed that despite Naveen Patnaik’s 23-year uninterrupted rule as Chief Minister, Odisha now has the “third lowest” per capita income and lowest farmers’ income in the country.
According to a National Statistical Office (NSO) survey conducted in 2019, Odisha ranked second from the bottom in the country in terms of farmer income.
According to the NSO report, each farmer’s family in Odisha earns Rs 5,112 per month, compared to Rs 4,895 in Jharkhand, which ranked lowest among all states and union territories in the country.
“Odisha highest in serious crimes against women”, claims BJP
In terms of crime against women, BJP’s Anil Biswal claimed that Odisha has the highest number of serious crimes against women. To back his assertion, Biswal shared a media report on National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) findings in ‘Crime In India 2021’ which indicated that Odisha witnessed a surge of 23% in crimes against women in the year 2021. According to the 2021 NCRB report, the state saw a surge in rape crimes and cases of domestic violence. Moreover, the state recorded the highest number of cybercrimes against women with 565 cases.
‘Conviction rate at a record low in Odisha‘
Biswal further stated that while Odisha has the highest number of serious crimes against women, the conviction rate is only 5.7%, the lowest in the country. The BJP leader relied on his claims in a 2022 report regarding the NCRB data about the conviction rate.
According to NCRB data, the conviction rate dropped to 5.7% for offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and 3.8% for offenses under Special and Local Laws (SLL). However, Odisha’s conviction rate is slightly ahead of Assam’s (5.6%).
‘Highest disproportionate assets cases in Odisha’
The BJP leader pointed out that the state of Odisha witnessed the highest disproportionate assets incidents in the recent past.
Interestingly, in December last year, it was reported that in the year 2022, the Odisha Vigilance Department arrested nearly 200 government officials and filed 285 criminal cases.
According to the department’s data, Vigilance registered 84 disproportionate assets (DA) cases and 118 trap cases out of these 285 cases. In 2022, Odisha Vigilance recorded the highest number of DA cases in the country.
According to Vigilance Director YK Jethwa, the department uncovered disproportionate assets worth Rs 174 crore and accomplished the highest cash seizures with the top four recoveries totaling Rs 7 crore in 2022.
‘No state government-run university in the top 100 ranking’
The recently released National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) rankings have exposed the truth beyond the Naveen Patnaik-led government’s lofty claim of providing quality education at government-run institutions. BJP’s Anil Biswal displayed a placard highlighting the poor performance of state-run universities in Odisha.
The NIRF rankings, released by the Ministry of Education in June of this year, revealed a downward trend in the state’s educational standards. In terms of overall performance, no state-run educational institution from Odisha has been able to rank among the top 100 in the country although two private universities from Odisha did make it to the top 100 list.
In the year 2022 as well, none of the state-run universities could manage to make it to the list of the top 100 universities in India.
‘Liquor sales’
Biswal also attacked the BJD government over Odisha’s liquor sales. Biswal demonstrated the figures, claiming that while the state collected Rs 220 crore from liquor sales in 2000, the figure had risen to Rs 7740 crore by 2023.
According to reports, the state government collected Rs 7,628 crore in the fiscal year 2021-22, including Rs 5,528 crore in excise and Rs 2,100 crore in VAT on liquor. Meanwhile, the state collected Rs 6,186.36 crore in excise and Rs 2,585 crore in VAT on liquor, bringing the total excise revenue for 2022-23 to Rs 8,767.36 crore, the highest ever.
Job creation
A 2016 report in Times of India had stated that the number of migrant laborers coming from Odisha seeking work in other states has risen 3 fold in the 10 years between 2006 and 2016. 2021 reports stated that the unemployment rate in the 15-29 age group in Odisha has been at a staggering 32.8%.
Additionally, the BJP has been highlighting the high unemployment rate among educated young people in Odisha. In April this year, the party cited the government’s own data that said there are approximately 8.98 lakh educated young persons in the state who are unemployed.
Biswal stated that there are over 30 lakh Odias who are working in other states as laborers because they are unable to find jobs in the state.
