On the first day of the monsoon session of the Odisha Assembly, the Congress submitted a notice for a no-confidence motion against the 15-month-old BJP government in the state.
The Congress’s move may be symbolic given its poor tally in the 147-member Assembly, but party insiders said it was a “well-thought-out strategy to expose the nexus between the BJP and the principal Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD)”.
Just after the monsoon session got underway Thursday, the Congress submitted a notice for no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi-led government, which was signed by 14 Congress MLAs and the lone CPI (M) legislator.
Later in the day, the Congress MLAs also went to the chamber of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) and ex-chief minister Naveen Patnaik, the BJD president, to seek his party’s support for the motion. They however could not meet Patnaik as he was not present in his office.
“The no-confidence motion is a reflection of the view of the common people in Odisha under the BJP government in the past 15 months. The government has failed on every front. Unemployment is at its peak, there has been corruption everywhere, development has stuck and crimes against women have increased. The government is only busy in doing advertisements. Hence, we have moved the motion,” said Congress MLA Sofia Firdous.
Even though Speaker Surama Padhy has yet to accept the non-confidence motion, Sofia said while submitting it they have complied with the rules of procedure – that it should be signed by at least 14 MLAs. She added that the Speaker must accept their notice and allow a discussion on the no-trust motion.
A Congress insider said the party knows that the motion would fail, but believes that it would help the party “push its narrative” against the alleged collusion between the BJD and the BJP.
In the House, the BJP has currently 78 members while the BJD has 50 MLAs. There are also three Independent MLAs who have been extending support to the BJP.
“The ball is in the BJD’s court now. We had earlier said that we will definitely support the BJD if they bring a no-confidence motion. Since they didn’t bring it, we have moved the motion and sought their support. We are waiting for their response,” said Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam.
A senior Congress leader said they are “sceptical about getting support” of the BJD as “the Patnaik-led party does not have the will to vote against the BJP dispensation which it always supports at the Centre”.
“Despite BJD’s claim of being equidistant from BJP and Congress, it has always supported the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre on every issue. Despite their defeat in the 2024 polls, the BJD leadership continues to have a good rapport with the BJP central leadership,” he said.
If the BJD does not support the no-confidence motion despite being the main Opposition party, it would be “exposed” before the people of Odisha as well as its own cadre, the Congress leader claimed.
“The discontent in BJD will grow as their several leaders have earlier said that the party has failed to act as the principal Opposition.” he said, claiming that the no-trust bid would boost the morale of the Congress workers and help the party “emerge as the real Opposition” in the state.
The grand old party, which has been in political wilderness in Odisha since 2000, tried to build a narrative on the “BJD-BJP nexus” and the issue of “Odia pride”, while projecting the Congress as the only alternative to them ahead of the 2024 polls, but failed to make an impact.
The Congress now seems to have launched fresh attempts to rebuild the party organisation in Odisha after its streetfighter face Bhakta Charan Das, a Dalit leader, was appointed as the state party unit chief earlier this year. The party workers now appear to be more active as they hit the ground regularly against the BJP government on various issues.
Though the BJD has yet to officially take a position on the no-confidence motion, the former is unlikely to throw its weight behind the Congress’s move.
BJD MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena said as a “responsible Opposition” his party would always fight for the interest of the Odisha people. “We will raise the issues in the Assembly that hamper the interest of the state and its people. BJD is united under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik,” he said.
Senior BJP leader Jayanarayan Mishra said there seemed to be an “ongoing competition” between the two Opposition parties to secure the number 2 position.
“The Congress knows its strength in the Assembly. Hence, the motion will have no impact. It only intends to mislead the people and to secure the number 2 position,” said Mishra.
The monsoon session is scheduled to end on September 25.