Overview
- Addressing the BJD’s 29th Foundation Day, Naveen Patnaik said the party will remain the people’s voice for the next 100 years and stressed it is a mass movement, not about one or two leaders.
- Patnaik criticized the BJP-led state government over governance and safety, citing deteriorating law and order, rising crimes against women, fertiliser and mandi issues, and 18 exam paper leaks in 18 months.
- He urged youth and party workers to be active on social media to counter misinformation, calling for patience and sustained grassroots work.
- Reports of leaders and cadres moving to the BJP have fueled ‘Operation Lotus’ allegations, while divisions persist over former IAS officer Sujata Karthikeyan’s potential induction; Patnaik kept succession plans private.
- The party later termed talk of an imminent successor announcement as misinformation, as Patnaik defended the BJD’s 2000–2024 tenure as a ‘golden era’ marked by welfare, BSKY healthcare coverage, and investment gains.