Looking to turn up heat on BJP govt, LoP Patnaik forms ‘shadow cabinet’, assigns depts to BJD MLAs

Weeks after the BJD’s debacle in the simultaneous Assembly and Lok Sabha polls in Odisha, the party president and ex-chief minister, Naveen Patnaik, is ramping up his efforts to take on the ruling BJP government headed by CM Mohan Charan Majhi.

On Wednesday, Patnaik, who is now the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the state Assembly, assigned various departments to his 50 party MLAs. This is being seen in the BJD circles as a “shadow cabinet”, which would closely scrutinise the BJP government’s functioning in the state and raise issues pertaining to different departments in the Assembly.

“The Opposition party is the custodian of people’s interests. The Opposition party has a significant role to play in the state Assembly. The MLAs will keep close watch on the activities of departments assigned to them and actively take part during discussion of those departments in the state Assembly. They will work to protect the interests of the people,” said a statement issued by the BJD that quoted Patnaik.

BJD sources said the idea behind the move was “to emerge as a strong Opposition party and to counter the BJP government on various issues”.

Patnaik’s move comes a week before the commencement of the first Assembly session after the formation of the first BJP government in the state. The budget session is scheduled to start from July 22 and will continue till September 13 in two phases.

Patnaik’s move is also a clear indication that he would continue to play an active role in Odisha politics and that the BJD would take an aggressive stand against the BJP government in the House.

The BJD members will occupy the Opposition benches for the first time since the party first fought an Assembly election in 2000.

“Those who thought that BJD will no