Bhubaneswar, July 12 (IANS) The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Sunday accused the BJP government in Odisha of making a “futile attempt” to erase the legacy of Mission Shakti, a flagship women’s empowerment programme launched under the previous BJD regime, by removing the photograph and information of former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik from its official website.

Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters, senior party women leaders, including Chief Whip in the Odisha Assembly Pramila Mallik, Rajya Sabha MP Sulata Deo, former Minister Tukuni Sahu and former Odisha State Women’s Commission chairperson Lopamudra Buxipatra, alleged that the move reflected the state government’s “insecurity” and “inferiority complex” rather than confidence in its own governance.

The leaders said deleting Patnaik’s photograph and information from the Mission Shakti portal was an attempt to rewrite history and undermine the contribution of lakhs of women associated with the flagship programme.

“A government that has the ability to create history preserves it, whereas a government that is incapable of creating history attempts to erase it. It is indeed unfortunate and regrettable that instead of creating history, the present government is making desperate attempts to erase it,” the regional party alleged.

They stressed that Mission Shakti was not a party programme but a people’s movement built through the efforts of women, Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and grassroots workers under Patnaik’s leadership. Any attempt to erase this history, they said, amounted to disregarding the contribution of Odisha’s women. The BJD maintained that every elected government is a constitutional institution and its work becomes part of the institutional history of the state.

The leaders further stated that former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was the democratically elected Chief Minister of Odisha and that Mission Shakti was one of the landmark initiatives of his government.

The BJD leaders argued that governments may change, but the continuity of governance remains. They said government departments and official platforms are not the property of any political party; they belong to the people of Odisha.

Claiming that no alteration to a website could erase the programme’s legacy, the regional party said Mission Shakti had enabled lakhs of women to achieve economic self-reliance, dignity and social empowerment, making it a permanent chapter in Odisha’s development history.

“Today’s attempt by the state government to erase the history of Mission Shakti raises a serious question: Why is the government so afraid? If a legacy continues to inspire the people even today, then removing a photograph only proves that the legacy of Naveen Patnaik remains powerful, relevant and immortal in the hearts and minds of the people,” the party asserted.

–IANS

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