BJP in Odisha plans mega celebrations on first anniversary of Mohan Majhi govt
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Odisha, under chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi, is set to celebrate their first anniversary with a host of events starting Thursday, which includes high-profile events, cultural programmes and development initiatives ahead of a major state-level function on June 12.
Some of the planned events during this period are exclusive dinners with the chief minister for corporate leaders, civil society members, MPs/MLAs, and media personnel. A mega outreach programme talking about the achievements of the Majhi government, a 5-minute theme song and a 25-minute long thematic audio-visual documentary are also part of the celebrations.
'The centerpiece of the celebrations will be a grand state-level function scheduled for June 12 at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend. It would be held at the same scale as the launch of the Subhadra scheme for Odisha women by PM Modi on September 17 last year,' said an official familiar with the events.
The official said specially branded vans will go around all the 314 blocks of Odisha from June 5-19 to amplify the government's achievements and raise awareness among people about key governance reforms, flagship schemes and public service delivery initiatives.
From next week, celebrations will be held across the state with thematic state-level functions. On June 13, a programme on women will be held in Berhampur, while on June 18, a function dedicated to youths will take place in Dhenkanal. Similarly, a programme on tribals is slated for Mayurbhanj on June 19 followed by a special event for farmers in Bargarh district on June 20.
The government's monthly magazine, Pragati Prabaha, will feature success stories of various government departments on themes like women empowerment, agriculture, industries, Odia asmita, governance, health, education, infrastructure, and sports. The tourism department will highlight achievements in in-flight magazines and display promotional content at major airports during the Rath Yatra period later this month.
The Odia language and literature department will organise an artist camp on the theme 'Vision Odisha @2036', engaging institutions like Lalit Kala Akademi. A series of theatre performances at Rabindra Mandap will be held between June 12 and June 19 to celebrate Odisha's stalwarts like Madhusudan Das, Fakir Mohan Senapati, Sara Das, Bhima Bhoi and Rama Devi. In Jaydev Bhawan of Bhubaneswar, classic Odia films like Abhiman, Sesha Shrabana, and Sita Bibaha will be screened and other key locations like Berhampur, Rourkela, and Sambalpur. Musical evenings at Bhanja Kala Mandap will pay tribute to singing legends like Bhikari Bal and Akshaya Mohanty.
The Panchayati Raj and drinking water department will organise Vikas Melas and Pallishree Melas across districts, while the Mission Shakti department will host a traditional food festival to celebrate Odisha's culinary heritage. The school and mass education department will organise online essay and painting competitions on 'Vision Odisha @2036' and 'Viksit Bharat @2047'.
Slamming the elaborate celebration, opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) said the government should introspect. 'What has the government achieved in the last 1 year except renaming schemes started by Naveen Patnaik? Subhdara scheme has failed to make any impact and many farmers could not get ₹800 a quintal bonus for paddy. Law and order condition has worsened with reports of murders, rape and snatching becoming rampant. The government should focus more on work instead of bragging about their achievements,' said BJD spokesman Pratap Deb.
However, BJP state general secretary Jatin Mohanty said the BJD should be the last party to criticise BJP. 'The amount of money the previous government spent in projecting VK Pandian as successor to Naveen Patnaik would put the budget of a state government department to shame. In just about a year, we have managed to fulfil many of the promises that we made including the Subhadra scheme which was our promise to the women of the state. The celebration of one year is our way of reaching out to people and educating them about achievements of the government as well as development programmes that are in the pipeline,' Mohanty said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
21 minutes ago
- India Today
Operation Sindoor: United abroad, divided at home
It has taken a horrific terror attack and an 87-hour-long military operation against Pakistan for India's right-wing army to confer a certificate of 'nationalism' to the Hyderabad MP and AIMIM MP, Asaduddin years, Owaisi's strident politics was demonised by the BJP as representing 'anti-national' sentiment. Wearing his distinct religious identity on his sherwani made him an 'enemy' figure for those whose politics revolves around 'othering' the Indian the same Asaduddin Owaisi is being feted as a 'patriot' for aggressively espousing India's case on Pak-based terrorism in global fora. The articulate Hyderabad MP's politics haven't changed: he has on several previous occasions also taken on Pakistan and the two-nation theory. Only his oversized image as a staunch Indian Muslim opponent of the BJP meant that he is easily typecast as an advocate of narrow Muslim interests and little else. This is no image makeover, only a reflection of a post-Pahalgam political environment which remains divisive and hyper-partisan at home but united and consensual abroad. Take also Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remarks in West Bengal where he accused the Mamata Banerjee government of 'vote bank politics' over Operation Sindoor. The TMC, like most opposition parties, has been mostly supportive of the Modi government on the 'war' with Pakistan. While Shah was addressing BJP workers in Kolkata, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee was spewing fire against Pakistan's army state as part of an all-party delegation in East yet, with elections in Bengal less than a year away, the home minister's rabble-rousing speech was designed to sound the election bugle. A 24x7 politician, Shah is less home minister and more BJP karyakarta when on the campaign look at the chaotic state of the Congress party, India's principal opposition. Soon after Pahalgam, the party announced that it would 'fully support' any action taken by the Modi government to protect the country's 'national interest'. And yet, when the party's four-time Thiruvananthapuram MP, Shashi Tharoor endorses Operation Sindoor, he is instantly branded by local Congress leaders as having become the 'super-spokesperson' of the an eloquent Tharoor in Washington DC, leading another all-party delegation, refutes the charge that US President Donald Trump pushed India to agree to a ceasefire, Rahul Gandhi at a party rally in Bhopal accuses the prime minister of having 'surrendered' to the White House occupant. The confusion within its ranks is only glaringly apparent in the conflicting now to the BJP, India's dominant party of power. When Operation Sindoor was launched, the party's official social media handle released a video lampooning the Congress while accusing Dr Manmohan Singh of being a 'weak' prime minister who they claimed failed the country after 26/11. Strangely, its voluble MP Nishikant Dubey is part of an all-party team abroad, but that hasn't stopped him from putting out a series of acerbic tweets accusing Congress prime ministers dating back to Jawaharlal Nehru of 'selling' India's interests. From calling Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge a 'gaddar' (traitor) to dubbing Rahul Gandhi a 'Pakistani agent', the BJP's media machine has repeatedly targeted the Congress does one then make sense of a political milieu which is stoutly batting for India on foreign soil but throws bouncers at each other at home with no cohesion or decorum? Firstly, the blame must lie with the principal stakeholders, in this instance, the prime minister and the leader of the opposition. Forget about mutual respect, Prime Minister Modi and Rahul Gandhi seem to have utter contempt for each other. The prime minister has spared no opportunity in denigrating the Gandhi family, often in the most coarse language. The Congress leader, in turn, has been equally scornful of Mr Modi, almost as if the latter has no right to occupy the prime ministerial chair. When leaders respond to each other in such crude terms, how does one expect the followers to be any different?advertisementSecondly, there is an institutional atrophying that makes it increasingly difficult to ensure a measure of democratic accountability. Take, for example, the institution of Parliament, which in the past decade has been reduced to a notice-board by the ruling party. There has been little or no attempt made by government lawmakers to engage in a meaningful dialogue with the Opposition on key issues. Bills are rammed through, discussions are cut short, contentious issues are disallowed. When a debate is sought on Chinese intrusions, it is instantly refused. When an all-party meeting is called to discuss Operation Sindoor, the prime minister doesn't even attend it. Now, when a special session is demanded on the post-Pahalgam situation, the government ignores the plea. When debate is strangulated, democracy is there is the partisan role being played by a large section of the media which must be placed under the scanner. When the media becomes a loudspeaker of the government and shuts out or relentlessly interrogates the Opposition, then there is scarcely a level playing field in the national Operation Sindoor too, there has been little or no attempt by the media to raise inconvenient questions of the government even while routinely amplifying state propaganda. Is it any surprise, then, that the Chief of Defence Staff ended up admitting to Indian jet losses to a foreign media network in Singapore and not to a home audience? When domestic media credibility is strained, it creates an information vacuum that works against the public interest: the public has a right to know, not be kept in a dark tunnel of one key reason for the divisive nature of domestic politics is the pernicious influence of social media. This is the first Indo-Pak conflict in the age of social media, a noxious chamber of lies and abuse with no rules or filters to ensure even a semblance of due diligence or decency in public discourse. In this free-for-all whirl, there is ample space for extreme voices to get traction while expressions of moderation and nuance are increasingly marginalised. Soundbites are craftily edited, reels go viral, Twitter wars and loud name-calling debates are par for the course: who wants sense when sensation takes over? Domestic politics has become almost performative, playing to this media gallery where noise matters more than news in a post-truth surprise then that any hope for dialogue (samvaad) in our politics has gradually receded. Operation Sindoor may have united our leaders in salubrious foreign climes, but on home turf we remain as bruisingly divided as One Opposition MP who was part of the all-party delegation confided that he found his fellow BJP MP 'a rather nice person': 'She looks at me with hostility in Parliament, but on the flight, she was rather pleasant to talk to.' Maybe, a few more all-party visits might help break the ice further!(Rajdeep Sardesai is a senior journalist and author. His latest book is 2024: The Election That Surprised India)(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Tune InMust Watch IN THIS STORY#Operation Sindoor#Shashi Tharoor
The Print
23 minutes ago
- The Print
Never said anything about merits of abrogation—Congress's Salman Khurshid on Article 370 remark abroad
'It's like being asked if you had breakfast, and you say yes. It doesn't mean you're praising the food,' he added. 'If someone asks me about 370, I have to say it's gone. That's just a factual statement,' he told ThePrint in an interview after returning from his visit. 'People say things like—you acknowledged the elections happened in J&K, so does that mean everything is fine? No. I didn't say that. I just said elections happened. That has nothing to do with the merits of abrogating Article 370.' New Delhi: Days after he purportedly endorsed the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K during his visit to Indonesia as part of a multi-party delegation on Operation Sindoor—in remarks that seemed to have not gone down well with his party—Congress leader Salman Khurshid has said his statement 'had nothing to do with the merits' of the move. While in Indonesia, Khurshid, a former external affairs minister, had said: 'Article 370 was abrogated, finally put to an end…Subsequently, there was an election and 65 percent participation. There is an elected government in Kashmir today, and therefore, for people to want to undo everything that has happened, the prosperity that has come to Kashmir, it is very unfortunate. It will give a setback to anybody.' His remarks seemed at variance with the views of his party, whose stand on the abrogation of Article 370 has evolved over the years, but it has never hailed the move as one that benefited Jammu and Kashmir. On Monday, Khurshid had written on X that it was 'distressing' that while he was abroad on a 'mission against terrorism', people 'at home' were 'calculating political allegiances'. Speaking to ThePrint, he said the Congress had never included any promise in its manifesto to reverse the abrogation, adding that the only pressing issue now is the restoration of statehood for J&K, a demand that finds wide agreement across parties. When on mission against terrorism, to carry India's message to the world, it's distressing that people at home are calculating political allegiances. Is it so difficult to be patriotic? — Salman Khurshid (@salman7khurshid) June 2, 2025 'The Supreme Court was assured that statehood would return. It still hasn't. That's what needs to be emphasised,' he added. On the National Conference's (NC's) position, Khurshid said: 'Nobody asked me about them…they had it in their manifesto…but we didn't have it in our manifesto…Everyone—the NC, the Congress, the people of J&K—wants statehood. That's the real focus.' Responding to allegations that his participation in the all-party delegations helped the ruling BJP, Khurshid said: 'I didn't go to help the BJP. I went because India needed a united voice. The BJP-led government invited us. My party agreed and sent me. I am proud of that.' He added: 'So I can only say that let the credit go to the Congress, not to me, that we collaborated and cooperated with the government when it came to India's profile across the globe. Now if somebody has speculation and does speculation and says why now, why this, why that, then I can only answer by saying it's very difficult to be a patriot.' Asked about criticism directed at Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, Khurshid said: 'I don't know why he's being criticised. Only Shashi can answer that. We weren't coordinating on a daily basis. He's a friend and a talented person, but I can't speak for him.' Also Read: 'Lalu gave reservation only to Rabri, Modi fulfilled Sonia's dream' — Bihar Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary The delegation experience Speaking about the objectives of the all-party delegations that fanned out across the globe to put forth India's anti-terror stance after the Pahalgam terror attack and Operation Sindoor, Khurshid said the mission was to share evidence of Pakistan's involvement and seek international solidarity. He said that while some think tanks and diaspora groups posed questions, most governments—particularly Japan, Korea, and Indonesia—appreciated India's restraint and professionalism. 'They were impressed by the fact that we responded effectively and then agreed to a ceasefire when requested. They affirmed our right to self-defence.' Khurshid said the delegation expected diplomatic challenges in Indonesia and Malaysia due to their OIC membership. 'But we were pleasantly surprised in Indonesia. Major Muslim organisations there spoke about the need for moderate Islam, they were very supportive.' In Malaysia, the response was more complicated due to domestic politics, he added. 'The Malay vote is split across four parties, each competing intensely. That made things different. But we still received strong support.' Many countries, especially diaspora communities, he said, held misconceptions shaped by the Western press. 'Some even called it a Western-created perception. We made it a point to convey this. Over the course of the trip, satellite imagery and facts shared by the Indian government helped shift that perception.' Khurshid suggested that even commercial rivalries, such as between global aircraft manufacturers, may have influenced the narrative. 'But yes, there was definitely concern around how the Western media presents India.' 'If seven delegations like ours can go around the world to clear doubts and present facts, why not do the same at home?' he asked. 'A special session of Parliament could have clarified things for our own citizens. That's what the Congress demanded. But the government hasn't agreed.' Asked whether his religious identity posed a challenge abroad, he said: 'No more than when a Muslim fights for India on the border…Yes, there is a shared religion with the perpetrators of the Pahalgam attack, but that's where it ends. I tweeted that as a patriot it's difficult to do this, right?' Reacting to Pakistan's statement slamming India's diplomatic outreach and asking countries in Southeast Asia and ASEAN to 'remain vigilant'—released while the Indian delegation was in Kuala Lumpur—Khurshid said it was 'peevish and puerile', and one that 'does not even merit a response'. (Edited by Gitanjali Das) Also Read: Pakistan army, ISI trained and sent terrorists into Jammu, says J&K L-G Manoj Sinha
The Print
24 minutes ago
- The Print
Trump role, ‘Rafale losses' to Muslims in India, what countries asked India's Op Sindoor delegations
BJP MP Brij Lal, who was part of the Sanjay Jha-led delegation that visited Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia, said to ThePrint, 'Pakistan tried to scuttle our mission. The Malaysian embassy was very active and questioned why we were making the trip. We told them, 'Pakistan is your friend, but you must distinguish between perpetrator and defender'.' The most challenging outing was in Malaysia, where Pakistan tried to invoke 'Islamic solidarity' to undermine India's outreach. While the Indian delegation was in Kuala Lumpur, the Pakistani embassy reportedly urged Malaysian officials to cancel the delegation's programmes. Malaysia, however, reportedly refused to entertain Pakistan's request. New Delhi: In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, seven all-party delegations visited several countries to convey India's message against cross-border terrorism. Key questions raised by countries visited by the delegations have been related to US President Donald Trump's role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire, the number of fighter jets India lost in the military face-off, the status of Muslims in India, the western narrative portraying India and Pakistan as equally responsible, the potential use of nuclear weapon, and Pakistan's inclusion in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list. 'We told them they are free to keep their friendship with Pakistan, but should remember what Zulfikar Ali Bhutto said in 1965—that Pakistan would wage a 'thousand-year war' against India. That reflects the mindset of their leadership and military. Even General Zia-ul-Haq had repeated that statement. We also reminded them of (Pakistani Army chief) Asim Munir's remark a week before the Pahalgam attack,' he added. Sanjay Jha, who led the delegation, said, 'Indonesia's stand was more supportive, as they share Indian culture despite having the world's largest Muslim population…. We told them that Pakistan keeps bringing resolutions against India in the OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation). Since we are not a part of the OIC, we asked them to also consider our point of view before entertaining such resolutions. Indonesia agreed to this, but Malaysia made no such commitment. We sensed a slight tilt in Malaysia's position towards Pakistan.' Another challenging visit was in Colombia, where the nation initially condoled the deaths of Pakistanis in India's strike during the Indian delegation's visit. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor's delegation met Colombia's vice-minister of foreign affairs and presented a detailed timeline. Their discussions led Colombia to withdraw its statement supporting Pakistan. This was significant as Colombia is set to become a member of the UN Security Council starting 1 January, 2026, making its stance very important for India. Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a member of Tharoor's delegation said, 'Since Colombia has been a victim of terrorism, they understood India's position after the initial goof-up. The problem in many countries is that they lack understanding of India's perspective and tend to treat India and Pakistan on par in the ongoing tensions.' BJP MP Baijayant Panda, who led the delegations to the Muslim-majority nations of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Algeria, and Kuwait, was asked a range of questions during his visits—from President Trump's role in announcing the ceasefire, to India's economic trajectory and the status of Muslims in the country, particularly in Jammu and Kashmir. BJP national vice-president Baijayant Panda told ThePrint, 'Since all these countries have suffered from terrorism at some point—Saudi Arabia, for instance, was a victim of Al-Qaeda, with bombings in Riyadh in 2003—we didn't have to convince them. They shared our concerns. Most of these countries have dealt firmly with jihadi elements. We argued for keeping Pakistan on the FATF grey list and presented facts showing that when Pakistan was under grey list monitoring, terrorist activity and cross-border terrorism had reduced.' In October 2022, Pakistan was removed from the FATF Grey List, which includes countries with strategic deficiencies in their anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing regimes. On questions being raised about Trump's role in mediation between India and Pakistan during the recent conflict, Panda said, 'We categorically stated that during such escalations, many countries offer suggestions or make phone calls—just as we did during the Russia-Ukraine war. That doesn't mean we were mediating. The India-Pakistan issue is a bilateral one, and we agreed to a ceasefire only after Pakistan's DGMO reached out to us.' Panda shared that AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi and Democratic Progressive Azad Party leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, who were also part of the delegation led by him, 'very emphatically' conveyed India's position on terrorism and highlighted how Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir have suffered due to Pakistan-sponsored terrorism. During an interaction in Bahrain, Owaisi said, 'Quran has categorically stated that killing of one innocent person, Quran has not said the killing of one innocent Muslim, it says the killing of one innocent person is like killing of whole humankind. Islam has condemned terrorism. Pakistan has used religion to justify killing of people. There is no difference between these terrorists and ISIS.' He added that Pakistan has become the epicentre of 'takfirism'—the practice of accusing fellow Muslims of apostasy. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, known for his strong Hindutva stance, defended the situation of Muslims in India when questioned during a delegation visit. 'With all clarity, we are articulating who is treating minorities how in their countries. After independence, India's Muslim population was around 9-10 percent. Now it is about 20 percent. On the other hand, the Hindu population in Pakistan was 13 percent and is now just 1 percent. So, it is Pakistan that is treating its minorities badly, and also impacting India through terror. We have been able to communicate this as well,' he said during the visit. Panda said, 'Nishikant Dubey ji might have tweeted to address his domestic constituency during the trip, but during the outreach mission, all members spoke for India and showcased the country's religious and cultural diversity.' Even Ghulam Nabi Azad, who fell ill during the trip, said, 'When the Pahalgam terror attack happened, Muslims in Jammu and Kashmir came out onto the roads to show solidarity with the victims.' Also read: All-party delegation isn't failure of Indian missions abroad. Diplomats work behind the camera Questions about Rafale performance, India's economy Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai, part of DMK MP Kanimozhi's delegation to Greece, Russia, Slovenia, Spain, and Latvia, told ThePrint, 'One suggestion during the visit was to continue the ceasefire and hold talks with Pakistan. I intervened and said, 'We hear your suggestion. India has a democratically elected government with a prime minister, but in Pakistan, the army controls the civilian government, which acts like a puppet. Let us know whom to talk to. Pakistan has the biggest gang of terrorists'.' 'I also raised the point that before Munir, only one other Pakistani officer was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal by a civilian government despite military losses,' he said. In Spain, the delegation was questioned about the situation of the Muslim population in Jammu and Kashmir. 'We briefed them on the successful elections, the presence of a civilian government, and how the people of Jammu and Kashmir showed solidarity after the terror attack,' said Rai. Greece asked about the Rafale fighter jets and whether any had been shot down by Pakistan. 'Their interest was in understanding Rafale's performance and technical details. We assumed they were seeking feedback for a purchase,' he added. In Japan and Korea, according to Brij Lal, the delegation was questioned about the precision of India's operation. 'We explained that our technological advances allowed us to carry out the strike without harming civilians. It targeted only terrorist camps and their airbases, completed with precision in 22 minutes. We emphasised that India is a peace-loving country and cited the example of the IC 814 hijacking, which had Abdul Rauf Azhar (younger brother of Jaish-e-Mohammad chief Masood Azhar) behind it. India retaliated by eliminating 10 members of his family to send a strong message.' With India's economy reaching fourth place, overtaking Japan, the Indian delegation was asked about the country's economic performance. 'We said, within 2 years, we will surpass Germany's economy, too, reflecting India's focus on development and peaceful coexistence,' said Brij Lal. He added that the question of a possible nuclear conflict and escalation also came up. 'We categorically stated that India follows a no-first-use nuclear policy and firmly stands by it,' he said. Outcomes shared with Jaishankar The outreach delegations on Operation Sindoor led by Sanjay Jha and Kanimozhi met External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Thursday to brief him on the outcomes of their visits. Baijayant Panda's delegation had met the minister earlier to apprise him of their results. AAP MP Ashok Kumar Mittal, part of Kanimozhi's delegation said, 'After returning today, we met External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar. He wanted to know the response in the five countries we visited. We told him about it. Wherever we went, they appreciated the steps taken by India against terrorism…External Affairs Minister said he will talk to the Prime Minister about all our feedback and inform him on the matter.' According to SP's Rajeev Rai, the delegation told Jaishankar that 'A few countries complained that our bilateral parliamentary forum is not functioning effectively. It should be regularised to allow regular exchange of views and to strengthen our mutual relationship—not just during times of crisis.' Former Union minister S.S. Ahluwalia, who was part of the delegation led by Shiv Sena leader Shrikant Shinde—to UAE, UAE, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Congo—said to ThePrint 'Our mission was to present India's viewpoint to the world. Many questions were asked about the ceasefire, our measured response, and Trump's role. We reminded the countries how India has suffered from Pakistan-sponsored terrorism even during former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, despite his best efforts. Vajpayee used to say that Pakistan is our neighbour because of geography and we cannot change that, but we can bring about a change and make Pakistan our friend.' 'So, during the Lahore Declaration, he travelled to Lahore by bus. But what happened after that? Kargil happened… Time and again, we try to reach a settlement and send a message of peace, but Pakistan always betrays us. Pakistan does not engage in a conventional war with us but engages in terrorism because it wants to weaken us,' he said. Ahluwalia was part of the PA Sangma-led delegation to Brussels, seeking the European Union's support, following the 2001 Parliament attack. (Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri) Also read: India's all-party delegations show a problem with our embassies
