BHUBANESWAR: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has termed the Union Budget for 2024-25 as "extremely disappointing" for Odisha, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of reneging on its pre-election promises.
The party's nine Rajya Sabha members staged a walkout during the budget presentation to protest what they see as the neglect of the state.
BJD supremo and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik criticised the budget for failing to address several key demands. He highlighted that promises made during the election campaign, particularly concerning agriculture, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and industry, remain unfulfilled. "There is no mention of any promise being fulfilled in this budget," Patnaik said.
Naveen Patnaik also noted that Odisha's demand for special category state status was overlooked, while special packages were extended to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar.
“Besides, the demand of Odisha for revision of coal royalty which has been pending for years with the Centre has also been rejected. The state will now lose thousands of crores in revenue every year,” he said.
Stating that Odisha is one of the most vulnerable regions to natural disasters, the former chief minister pointed out that the state’s requests for disaster mitigation support have not been met, unlike those of other states that received special packages.
He also criticised the Centre for announcing funds for the Polavaram dam project without resolving the dispute between Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
Patnaik expressed frustration over the NDA government's repeated promises to focus on Eastern India, including Odisha, without tangible benefits for the state. "Despite the state’s significant contributions to the country, it continues to be neglected," he said.
However, the BJP supremo did acknowledge the budget's focus on tourism development in Odisha and expressed hope for substantial benefits in this sector.
Earlier, BJD MPs walked out of the Rajya Sabha in protest, arguing that the budget ignored Odisha's demand for special category state status.
Party national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra remarked that while Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Bihar had all raised similar demands, only Andhra Pradesh and Bihar received additional funds.
“Probably, this is the punishment meted out to Odisha for electing 20 BJP Lok Sabha MPs out of 21 from Odisha and the reward to the BJP allies from Bihar and Andhra Pradesh,” he added.
Deputy Leader of the Opposition Prasanna Acharya also criticised the Centre for ignoring Odisha's genuine concerns in the budget.