Former IAS officer and newspaper columnist Prasanna Mishra on Wednesday made his observations on the issue of a Bench of the Odisha High Court in western Odisha in the context of the lawyers’ agitation in that part of the State.
He said, “Inadequacy in leadership, tainted by caprice, creates havoc. It shakes the foundation of a society; it strengthens divisive forces and promotes criminality. A very legitimate demand for a Bench of the Odisha High Court at Sambalpur was swept under the carpet and the entire population in western Odisha was put on a deprivation mode.”
He further viewed, “(Chief Minister) Naveen Patnaik alone is responsible for such an avoidable situation. A region that gave us Bhima Bhoi, Gangadhar Meher, Birsa Munda, Krutartha Acharya and enriched our State with assets like Indravati Project, Hirakud Dam, Rourkela Steel Plant now stands aggrieved by shortsighted handling of (the issue) by Naveen Patnaik. I would appeal to the people of Odisha to be careful in selecting a leader. A leader should have vision and voice; he should have the ability to take the State forward and not towards strife or obscurantism.”