Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik is fiendishly ignorant of State affairs and careless and callous to the sentiments and desire of people of the State. Here the rule of law and accountability are not enforced and ensured which are basic ingredients and invaluable assets of democratic polity.
Viewed from various aspects of state administration it would be well judged that his leadership is doomed to abysmal failure since he lacks outstanding competence and indomitable personality as head of the Government of the poorest State. He has no progressive idea and incisive vision how to develop the State rapidly. State administration is carried on by the advice of some bureaucrats because the Chief Minister is unable to speak and understand the Odia language though born in Odisha and son of veteran leader Biju Patnaik. His idea, attitude and outlook are obviously manifesting that he has no willing desire and earnest intention for welfare and development of the State.
He only loves power and inclined to tenaciously hold it by formulating and implementing some populist policy appeasing momentarily some poor and downtrodden making them permanently dependent upon the Government for their livelihood. It is a fact that corruption, scam and scandal are the product of perverse governance since bureaucrats become unrestrainedly powerful which inspire maladministration and malfeasance.
The State has been victimised and exploited by the increasing instances of various scams of high magnitude. It is well acknowledged that through mining and chit fund scam thousands of crore of rupees have been looted by corporate elite in connivance with politicians in power and some corrupt bureaucrats .The assets looted by these elites belong to all people of the State. Now this State experiences new scams by some fake, fraud and fictitious self proclaimed godmen or Gurus and among them Sarathi Baba of Barimul Ashram of Kendra pada district and Surendra Mishra of Trahi Achayut of Jhinti Shasan are prominent. Both Babas were leading lavish life style devoid of moral conduct and demeanour. They have amassed immense wealth both movable and immovable by extracting money from their gullible devotees by dint of contrived trickery. It is pertinent to mention here that many influential MlAs of ruling party were devotees of Sarathi Baba and were contributing to the Barimula Ashram forgetting their status, position and moral responsibilities with the sole objective of securing votes through his devotees. Surendra Mishra a, self proclaimed supernatural man and Gurudev of Trahi Achyut mutt has also acquired huge assets and encroached large area of Government land where he has constructed temples, luxurious buildings and attracting ponds. Amassing wealth, sexual pleasure and physical assault upon women and girls were prime pursuit of their desired ambitions.
Even criminals were given shelter in the Trahi Achyut ashram. It is a regret that the present Government has declared the Trahi Achyut ashram and adjoining areas as place of tourist interest without proper verification of real status and position of the ashram and integrity of its Guru. It is appropriate to state that maladministration of theGovernment is solely responsible for the rising of these fake Babas and growth of their vast properties. What were the district administration , intelligence wing and local police doing when illegal activities including grabbing of large area land by these fake Babas were in progressIJ It would be assumed that the local administration had overtly and covertly cooperated and collaborated in growing their illegal activities and nefarious designs by not taking appropriate steps against these notorious pretentious criminals. It appears that the Government machineries became active after startling revelation by visual media and public outcry and not before that. If all assets and resources under the possession of thousands Babas of thousands ashrams are confiscated and utilised in public welfare it would be in fact beneficial to the people especially the poor people of Odisha who are in abysmal poverty and misery. These Babas are sources of superstition and myths. Their existence and survival are prejudicial to the interest the State. It is not understood if the State Government has realised the monstrous blunder it has committed not taking proactive and pre emptive steps before they become powerful criminals under the cloak of spiritual Gurus. Similarly law and order situation in the State is fiercely deteriorating. As reported by National Crime Record Bureau, the State has stood in number one position in the crime against women. Even it has exceeded UP, the biggest State in India on atrocities against women. Viewed from 16 years of rule of Naveen Patnaik the State has not developed markedly and expectedly. Health, education, communication, electrification and agriculture are in seriously setback. The Government during its 16 years’ rule has not been able to supply drinking water to the rural people of the villages which is basic necessity and need. It is regrettable to note that many people particularly in Sambalapur district died of jaundice due to contamination of water. The State Government is egregiously apathetic of setting up new medical colleges considering its population and urgent importance. It is also fact that required numbers of doctors have not been deputed to the rural and tribal areas. Even as reported by CAG, a large number of posts are lying vacant in the prominent medical colleges of the State. There is a tremendous outpouring of outrages over the infant deaths at Sishu Bhawan. More than 67 infants met their end in 13 days. As reported, shortage of staff and basic infrastructure is responsible for this pathetic incidence of infant mortality. It is really rank negligence.
High literacy is of paramount importance for the progress and development of the State. As reported by CAG, the primary education has faced a serious setback due to lack of proper planning and poor implementation of Right to Free and Compulsory Education. It is also shocking regret that thousands of under matriculation teachers are teaching in the primary schools. The latest census data indicates that out of 4.19 crore population of State, 1.40 crore have never attended any educational institution. It is really brazen shame for the State Government which is not even concerned for the worrying trend of backwardness in education. Similarly agricultural development of the State is on down trend in spite of larger coastal belt and fertile lands. When the BJD Government assumed reign of power in a new term after election, it is always assertively vociferous and claims its pro farmer credentials and assures that both development of farmers and agriculture would be the top priority. But nothing is remembered after a lapse few months. Agriculture needs basic infrastructure like irrigation, electricity, new technology, training and communication.
Due to natural calamities of vagaries of nature i.e. imbalanced rainfall and inappropriate application of proper medicines, expected quantities of different crops are not produced. Our land can yield important vegetables like potato, tomato and onion abundantly but our farmers are not encouraged and guided well and properly by the district agricultural experts posted in different districts. While the State produced adequate quantities of potato with guidance and encouragement why it cannot produce tomato and onion, which are vitally useful for our people in same quantitiesIJ Contribution of agriculture to GDP is abysmally low.
Odisha’s backwardness is proven by the huge migration of our poor people to other States for livelihood. Popularity of Naveen Babu and progress of the State is sophistic and pretentious like the two Babas whom people revered and worshipped but when truth was revealed they were proved fake and fraudulent. Now bureaucrats are ruling the State being the proxy for an unenthusiastic Chief Minister with lethargic mindset and monstrous malaiseIJ Can the State progressIJ