Overview
- BJD youth and student leaders announced on Sunday that they will gherao the Odisha Assembly starting 22 September and will begin an indefinite day-and-night dharna if School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond does not resign.
- The party says new textbooks for Classes I to VIII contain multiple factual and editorial mistakes that were circulated despite earlier complaints and that examinations are due in the coming days, creating confusion for students and teachers.
- BJD leaders have alleged a Rs 380 crore scam in the tendering and publication of the books and accused the minister of involvement; that figure and the corruption claim are reported by party spokespeople and have not been independently verified in the cited coverage.
- Minister Nityananda Gond has said the state government is proofreading the textbooks and arranging corrected, error-free replacements to be distributed soon.
- The dispute has already prompted statewide protests, an appeal from BJD for students, parents and civic groups to join the agitation, and risks disrupting exams and Assembly business while sharpening political battles ahead of future contests.