Odisha BJP reluctant to defend party leader Jagannath Pradhan arrested for attack on govt. officer

The Hindu

15 hours ago

The Bharatiya Janata Party in Odisha appears to be on the back foot over backing party leader Jagannath Pradhan, who was sent to 14-day judicial custody after his arrest for allegedly conspiring to attack a senior bureaucrat of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation.
The party has been reluctant to fully defend its leader, already grappling with a tarnished image following the death of three devotees in a stampede during the Rath Yatra and a spate of gang-rape incidents.
The broad daylight assault on the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer by BJP workers further tied the party's hands. The situation worsened when OAS officers pushed back, demanding the arrest of Mr. Pradhan — whom they described as the prime accused and kingpin of the conspiracy — as a 'non-negotiable' condition. The mass leave by officers had crippled functioning of district and State level offices.
At a time when the Mohan Majhi government was on n celebration spree, marking one year in office, these unsavoury developments forced the BJP to tread cautiously over its public image.
On Wednesday (July 2, 2025), it briefly appeared that Mr. Pradhan — who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Bhubaneswar Central — had secured tacit support from the party after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with top leadership at the party office, where he presented his version of events.
However, within 24 hours, the leadership reconsidered. Party insiders said both the central and state units distanced themselves from Mr. Pradhan, concerned about further reputational damage. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remained relentless in his attack on the ruling party, accusing it of presiding over a deteriorating law and order situation and mismanaging the Rath Yatra — the most revered festival for Odias.
Bhubaneswar MP and BJP spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi further hardened her stance on the assault of a government official. 'It takes courage to admit a mistake. Had my own son been involved in the June 30 attack on a senior officer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, I would have called the police to arrest him. It is our duty to remain humble and act with dignity,' she said.
On July 1, Ms. Sarangi had strongly condemned the incident, stating she had never witnessed anything like it before. She asserted that the law must take its own course and called for strict punishment to ensure such acts are not repeated. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also said guilty would be punished. Senior ministers in Mohan Majhi Government were also seen reiterating similar line.
Though State BJP immediately suspended five of its members including a corporator from the primary membership, it was yet to take a stand on Mr. Pradhan.