Ahead of panchayat polls, Patnaik takes on Odisha govt over farmer issues — ‘Not Jai Kisan but Bhago Kisan’

As the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) marked the end of its three-week-long farmers’ protest in Odisha’s capital Bhubaneswar Tuesday, party chief Naveen Patnaik accused the Bharatiya Janata Party government of “failing farmers despite tall election promises”, warning of intensified protests. Former chief minister Patnaik, who addressed the Chasi Surakhya Samabesh near the state Assembly, said for the BJP government, ‘Jai Kishan’ is only a slogan, “while in reality it’s ‘Bhago Kisan’”. “The government will complete two years in office soon, but has failed to take and implement right decisions. They made tall promises and claims during elections but nothing substantial has been delivered,” Patnaik told the gathering. Underscoring key initiatives for farmers during BJD rule, including a separate agriculture budget, schemes like KALIA, irrigation facilities and loan support, Patnaik said under the “double engine” government, farmers don’t get fertilisers in time, paddy procurement is poor and illegal deductions (kati-chatni at mandis) are rampant. “When the farmers lodge protests, the state government accuses them of telling lies,” Patnaik said. The BJD, struggling with factionalism since losing the 2024 Assembly election, has taken up farmers’ issues in an attempt to corner the BJP government. Threatening to intensify the protest, Patnaik said the BJD would “continue to fight to awaken the government from deep slumber”. The regional party’s focus on farmers carries political significance as Odisha will hold panchayat polls early next year. Predominantly agrarian, about 80% of the state’s population depends on agriculture for livelihood. Significantly, farmers’ issues and the promise of a ‘bonus’ during paddy procurement played a key role in the BJP’s rise to power for the first time in 2024. Citing his recent letter to Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Patnaik said that despite the BJP’s election promise, nothing had changed on the ground. “The government is spending hundreds of crores on publicity but they don’t have money for farmers. They don’t pay heed even as our party has been fighting in the assembly over farmers’ issues for the last eight days,” said Patnaik. The former Odisha chief minister also targeted the BJP government over women’s safety, rising crime, law and order problems, unemployment and paper leaks. In an apparent dig at Majhi, who recently dubbed Patnaik a ‘one-liner’ politician during an Assembly speech, the BJD president said “people want service, not sermons.” “Governments run on work, not on stories,” he said, responding to the Odisha chief minister, who mocked Patnaik for giving “one-line responses to the questions of reporters”. Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are in politics, policy and people’s stories. He tweets at @bisoyisujit87 ... Read More