MP Baijayant Panda, the national vice-president of the BJP and Kendrapara representative, has strongly refuted allegations that the Union Budget 2024-25 discriminates against Odisha. He argued that the Opposition’s criticism is a deliberate attempt to mask its historical neglect of the state and the inefficiency of the ruling BJD government.
Panda described the budget, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as historic. He recalled that Odisha was long neglected under Congress and Congress-led governments, particularly in areas like railway funding. “There was a time when Odisha had to beg the Centre to increase railway funding to at least ₹1,000 crore, as the allocation was consistently around ₹600 crore,” he noted.
Panda emphasized the significant changes since the BJP came to power in 2014 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He highlighted that the railway budget for Odisha has now reached a record ₹10,500 crore, a sharp contrast to the past. He pointed out that during the 10-year UPA regime, Odisha received Central grants and assistance of approximately ₹1.14 lakh crore. In comparison, the NDA government has provided ₹4.57 lakh crore in the last decade, marking an increase of over 400%.
Panda further accused the BJD government of failing to capitalize on this liberal funding due to its narrow political agenda. He criticized the BJD’s non-implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme, which he said deprived the state’s people of essential health benefits and cost the state significant Central funds. He also blamed the BJD for derailing central schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and Jal Jeevan Mission through petty politics.
Addressing the demand for special category status for Odisha, Panda dismissed it as a political ploy to cover up administrative shortcomings. He argued that a government unable to utilize existing Central allocations has no justification for seeking special status.
