The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Monday slammed the BJP government for holding an eight-day statewide celebration to mark its first year in office, amid rising deaths and infections caused by cholera and diarrhoea.
Addressing a press conference at Indira Bhawan in Delhi, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das questioned the timing of the event, saying: “People are dying in Odisha. There is an epidemic-like situation. Is this the right time to organise an utsav (event)? What is there to celebrate?”
Das called it “a year of betrayal” and criticised the government for “collapsing the health system”. He said the state should be addressing the worsening health crisis instead of hosting festivities. “Recently, a plane crashed in Ahmedabad. Is it right for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Odisha for celebrations on June 20? There must be some decency,” he said.
The Congress has released a “chargesheet” citing 23 unfulfilled promises of the BJP government, Das said, including failure to provide sufficient medical infrastructure. “There is one doctor for every 12,000 people. People are dying due to medical negligence,” he added.
He also criticised the BJP for scaling back its promise of ₹50,000 vouchers for women’s financial empowerment to just ₹10,000 in two instalments. “Corruption is rampant. Even central and state officials, including an assistant director of the ED, have been arrested,” Das alleged.
Das said Congress’s Seva Dal was assisting affected families in Jajpur and other districts, where the outbreak has killed 14 people and sickened hundreds. Meanwhile, the government has flagged off ‘Vikas Vahanas’—campaign vehicles to showcase its development efforts across the state.
Congress MP from Koraput, Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka, called the campaign “a betrayal”. “Even though a tribal man is CM, atrocities against tribals and women continue,” he said.
Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi launched the outreach drive on June 12 to connect with people at the grassroots. But even as the Vikas Vahanas rolled out, cholera and diarrhoea cases surged, including in Cuttack. The government launched an awareness campaign, while health secretary Aswathy S visited Jajpur—the worst-hit district—to assess the situation.
