Bhubaneswar, May 8: The BJP today criticised chief minister Naveen Patnaik for re-inducting leaders in the council of ministers, whom he had dropped earlier from his cabinet on various charges.

The chief minister dropped 10 ministers from his 20-member council and inducted 11 ministers, including six new faces, to revamp his ministry's image.

"Those leaders, who had earlier been dropped on corruption charges or because of their casual attitude, have again been made ministers. Even they have been given the same portfolio," alleged BJP spokesperson Sajjan Sharma today.

He said Puri MLA Maheshwar Mohanty, who had been embroiled in a land scam, was made the revenue minister. New law minister Pratap Jena had not given the property statement of his wife at the time of election. Similarly, the new agriculture minister had ridiculed farmers suicide in the past. He also alleged that during the earlier tenure of Bijayshree Routray as the forest minister, Odisha had got a bad name for the state's failure in implementing the tiger project.

Though he did not name the ministers concerned, the BJP leader made it obvious by naming the departments they had been allocated.

Sharma alleged: "The man, who had allegedly been involved in scams related to government land at the Swargadwar crematorium and Sipasarubali sweet water zone and also forestland in Puri, was given the revenue portfolio."

However, revenue minister Maheswar Mohanty dismissed the allegations and said: "These (allegations) are baseless and politically motivated."

Talking about law minister Pratap Jena, Sharma alleged that Naveen assigned the law department to him, who had submitted false affidavit to the Election Commission regarding the property list of his wife.

However, Jena could not be available for his comments despite repeated attempts.

Sharma and BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty criticised Naveen for showering "excessive favours" to certain districts, including his own Ganjam which has four ministers in the 21-member council.

As many as 18 out of total 30 districts have no representatives.

"The backward west Odisha has been meted out step-motherly treatment by Naveen. He has also neglected the ST and SC communities by not giving them adequate representation," said one of them.

Earlier, leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra alleged that the backward districts such as Kalahandi, Balangir, Koraput had found no representatives in Naveen's new council.

The BJP leaders also alleged that Naveen showed his "intolerant and revengeful attitude" by denying representation to the districts, which had voted for the BJP in the rural polls, in his ministry.

"The people will not accept this discriminatory attitude in ministry-making, and it will prove costly for the BJD," said Sharma.