Bhubaneswar: Senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and former minister Ranendra Pratap Swain on Wednesday openly criticised his party’s leadership, alleging years of neglect towards the Scheduled Castes (SC), Scheduled Tribes (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) communities within Odisha’s governance and political framework.
Addressing a BJD rally held in front of Raj Bhawan in Bhubaneswar — organised to protest the current Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s alleged denial of reservation to OBC students in medical and engineering courses — Swain candidly admitted that mistakes made by the BJD over the years had contributed to its setbacks in the 2024 Assembly elections.
“Now is the time to rectify the neglect we did,” Swain declared. “The OBC people must receive their rightful due. Had we intervened earlier to safeguard the interests of SC, ST, and OBC communities, the political scenario today would have been very different.”
He invoked the legacy of Biju Patnaik, Odisha’s iconic leader, who had strongly advocated for the empowerment of marginalised communities. “Biju Babu always stood for the rights of the backward classes. Unfortunately, some leaders within the party moved away from his vision and worked in ways completely contrary to it,” he lamented.
Swain didn’t hold back in recalling his past disagreements with party leadership, especially with organisational secretary Pranab Prakash Das over the formation and functioning of the OBC Commission. He questioned the commission’s data accuracy at the time, highlighting how early warnings about rising discontentment among OBCs were overlooked.
Political observers note that during the BJD’s prolonged 24 years of rule, issues concerning the OBC population — which constitutes a significant portion of Odisha’s electorate — often took a backseat. While the government made visible efforts for SC and ST welfare, the demand for a comprehensive OBC reservation policy in education and employment remained inadequately addressed. It was only towards the latter part of the BJD’s tenure that steps like the formation of the OBC Commission were taken, but critics argued they came too late to quell growing resentment.
Swain’s remarks have stirred debate within the party ranks, as he warned, “Those who ignored the issues of SC, ST, and OBC communities will be held accountable by history.”
The statement has further exposed internal fault lines within the BJD as it attempts to regroup after its electoral setbacks.
