'Will make Centre accountable:' Naveen Patnaik hints end to outside support for NDA government

NEW DELHI: BJD chief and ex Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Monday exuded confidence that his party with 9 seats in the Rajya Sabha will be a "vibrant opposition" and press the Central govt to be more accountable on all issues. The BJD chief also pointed out that several demands of Odisha remain unmet, stressing the need for these to be addressed by the central government.
The BJD's assertive position follows a decade of offering outside support to the BJP on various bills in the Rajya Sabha.However, this stance comes after the BJP and BJD snapped ties in March, just weeks before the elections started.
Addressing the meeting, the BJD supremo Patnaik told his party colleagues to “be the voice of the 4.5 crore people of Odisha in Parliament."
"We will be a very strong and vibrant Opposition and will make the Centre accountable for all issues. The BJD MPs will raise all issues pertaining to the State’s development and the welfare of the people of Odisha,” he added.
“Many just and rightful demands of Odisha haven’t been met. We must ensure that those demands are met in right earnest by the Centre,” he said.

Key demands include Special Category Status for Odisha, due to frequent natural disasters, an issue BJD has pursued for years and which was also part of the Odisha BJP’s 2014 manifesto.
The party also pointed out the poor condition and delays in National Highway projects in Odisha, particularly the Cuttack-Sambalpur National Highway, and criticized the decade-long inactivity on the coastal highway, which is crucial for economic development.
“The condition of National Highways in Odisha is bad, with inordinate delays in work and poor maintenance being a major cause of concern. NH projects such as the Cuttack-Sambalpur National Highway are causing great pain to the people. Work has not started on the coastal highway for the past 10 years,” said the party in the statement.
The Party also touched on the proposed Odisha Capital region ring road near Bhubaneswar. “Proposals to build more than 15 lakh houses were blocked over the past 10 years. The party is going to demand at least 20 lakh Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana houses,” said the regional party.
The BJD also aims to push for AIIMS facilities in Sambalpur, Koraput, and Balasore, alongside initiatives like IT parks, semiconductor parks, textiles parks, and industrial corridors to boost employment for Odisha’s youth.
( with input from agencies)