Odisha BJP reluctant to defend party leader Jagannath Pradhan arrested for attack on govt. officer
The party has been reluctant to fully defend its leader, already grappling with a tarnished image following the death of three devotees in a stampede during the Rath Yatra and a spate of gang-rape incidents.
The broad daylight assault on the Odisha Administrative Service (OAS) officer by BJP workers further tied the party's hands. The situation worsened when OAS officers pushed back, demanding the arrest of Mr. Pradhan — whom they described as the prime accused and kingpin of the conspiracy — as a 'non-negotiable' condition. The mass leave by officers had crippled functioning of district and State level offices.
At a time when the Mohan Majhi government was on n celebration spree, marking one year in office, these unsavoury developments forced the BJP to tread cautiously over its public image.
On Wednesday (July 2, 2025), it briefly appeared that Mr. Pradhan — who had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly election from Bhubaneswar Central — had secured tacit support from the party after a two-and-a-half-hour meeting with top leadership at the party office, where he presented his version of events.
However, within 24 hours, the leadership reconsidered. Party insiders said both the central and state units distanced themselves from Mr. Pradhan, concerned about further reputational damage. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik remained relentless in his attack on the ruling party, accusing it of presiding over a deteriorating law and order situation and mismanaging the Rath Yatra — the most revered festival for Odias.
Bhubaneswar MP and BJP spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi further hardened her stance on the assault of a government official. 'It takes courage to admit a mistake. Had my own son been involved in the June 30 attack on a senior officer of the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation, I would have called the police to arrest him. It is our duty to remain humble and act with dignity,' she said.
On July 1, Ms. Sarangi had strongly condemned the incident, stating she had never witnessed anything like it before. She asserted that the law must take its own course and called for strict punishment to ensure such acts are not repeated. Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also said guilty would be punished. Senior ministers in Mohan Majhi Government were also seen reiterating similar line.
Though State BJP immediately suspended five of its members including a corporator from the primary membership, it was yet to take a stand on Mr. Pradhan.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Mint
26 minutes ago
- Mint
'Slap, but don't make video': Raj Thackeray's blunt advice to MNS workers after Marathi 'slapgate' case
Uddhav Thackeray patched up with cousin Raj Thackeray nearly two decades after breakup over Shiv Sena succession. The previously estranged Thackeray brothers appeared emphatic while addressing the audience during the rally in Mumbai on Saturday. Speaking in Marathi, Raj Thackeray said: 'Be it a Gujarati or anyone else here, must know Marathi, but there is no need to beat people for that if they don't speak Marathi. Yet, if someone does some drama, you must hit them below their eardrums.' 'If you beat someone, don't make a video of the incident. Let the person beaten up tell that he has been beaten up; you don't need to tell everyone," Raj added. Mumbai, Jul 05 (ANI): Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray along with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray during a joint rally after the Maharashtra government scrapped two GRs to introduce Hindi as the third language, at Worli Dome in Mumbai on Saturday. NCP-SP MP Supriya Sule also present. (Shiv Sena-UBT/ANI Video Grab) The MNS Chief was apparently addressing criticism about the Thackerays' men slapping and intimidating people, including street vendors, over their not speaking in Marathi. The much discussed Thackeray reunion unfolded against the backdrop of 'Marathi pride' sparked by the BJP-led Maharashtra government's move to introduce Hindi as a third language in schools – a decision that was later rolled back following intense backlash. Initially announced as a protest against the original move, Raj and Uddhav Thackeray's rally in Mumbai was converted to a celebration of the rollback. Raj Thackeray's assertion of 'Marathi pride' was followed by Uddhav Thackeray's speech, echoing the same sentiments. The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also spoke in Marathi, stating: 'Yes, we are goons; if we have to be goons to get justice, we will do goondagiri.' At the much-hyped Mumbai rally, MNS Chief Raj Thackeray delivered a sharp, ironic jab — praising Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis. Raj claimed Fadnavis managed to do what even Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray could not. "Uddhav and I are coming together after 20 years… What Balasaheb Thackeray could not do that Devendra Fadnavis managed to do," Raj Thackeray claimed at the massive event in Worli. Uddhav Thackeray's split with Raj Thackeray happened when Bal Thackeray was alive, as he preferred son Uddhav over nephew Raj to hand over the Shiv Sena reins. Uddhav also criticised the BJP - in power in Maharashtra and the Centre - for allegedly imposing the agenda of 'Hindi, Hindu, Hindustan' on India. 'We will protect the ideology of Hindutva, in Marathi language,' he further said. Following the Thackeray brothers' cousins at the reunion rally, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan stated that the introduction of Hindi as a third language from class 1 evoked statewide opposition. "It's fine if Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray claim credit for the withdrawal of the GRs. If they come together politically, our best wishes," Chavan told PTI. The Congress leader asserted that celebrating the withdrawal of Hindi language GRs and a potential political alliance between the two cousins are two separate issues.
India.com
36 minutes ago
- India.com
Two Thackerays, One Stage: Is Maharashtra Politics Witnessing A Reset?
New Delhi: In what could become a defining moment for Maharashtra's shifting political landscape, rival brothers Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray reunited on-stage on Saturday after two decades, declaring their unity over the cause of the Marathi language, and hinting at something much larger in the making. The rally, officially termed a 'victory rally', held at the NSCI Dome in Worli, was billed as a celebration of the Maharashtra government's rollback of its contentious three-language formula, which proposed Hindi as the default third language in schools. But the real headline was not the policy reversal. It was the public reunion of the Thackeray cousins, long divided by ideology, personality, and political ambition. The Mahayuti government's move to implement Hindi as a default third language under the NEP 2020 had met with strong resistance from Marathi cultural and political groups. The public outcry prompted a hasty retreat by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who clarified that Hindi would not be mandatory. Yet, the damage had been done, and in that backlash, a moment was created, one that the Thackeray cousins seized to full effect and perhaps test the waters for a deeper political alliance ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. For Uddhav, this rally, which came on the heels of weeks of backlash against the Mahayuti government's order, was an opportunity to stake a claim once again as the voice of Marathi pride and Hindutva with a human face. For Raj, it was a strategic moment to reposition himself as a cultural warrior with a more inclusive tone. In a packed auditorium with thunderous applause, Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, declared, 'We have come together to stay together." His words, though brief, carried enormous political weight. For observers and party workers alike, the message was unmistakable: the Thackeray split that fractured Maharashtrian politics in 2006 might finally be healing. Raj Thackeray, MNS chief, struck a similar note of reconciliation but added a characteristically sharp edge. 'What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis has done, he brought us together,' he quipped, turning the tables on the BJP, which he implied had unwittingly united the brothers through its missteps on language policy. This line, part sarcasm and part political theatre, drew laughs, but also raised eyebrows. Was this a mere coincidence, or was the BJP's dominance in Maharashtra now giving its opponents a reason to regroup? The rhetoric was familiar, but the tone was collaborative. For once, both Thackerays seemed aligned, not just in the message, but in mission. Both leaders subtly reframed the language controversy into a larger ideological battleground, where Marathi identity, cultural pride, and regional autonomy are now pitted against what they view as Delhi's imposed nationalism. Raj Thackeray did not hold back in his speech. While emphasising that all communities in Maharashtra must respect Marathi, he made it clear that violence in the name of the language was unacceptable. 'There is no need to beat someone if they don't speak Marathi. But if someone does unnecessary drama, then yes, slap them, but don't make a video of it,' he said, half-jokingly, to a crowd that laughed, cheered, and nodded in approval. Uddhav, meanwhile, took on the BJP directly. 'They ask what we did for the Marathi people in Mumbai. We ask them, what have you done in the last 11 years? You are pushing Mumbai's businesses and institutions to Gujarat,' he said. His critique was sharp and nationalistic, contrasting Mumbai's Marathi legacy with what he called the BJP's 'outsourcing' of state pride. He didn't stop there. In a fiery moment, he said, 'Who are you to teach us Hindutva? When riots happened, it was the Marathi people who protected every Hindu here. If fighting for justice makes us goons, then yes, we are goons.' Raj, too, addressed the ongoing language debate, adding a national flavour to his argument, citing that even icons like Balasaheb Thackeray and L.K. Advani were educated in English-medium schools. 'It's not about the medium, it's about your pride in your language,' he said, pointing to how South Indian politicians had embraced their native tongues despite similar backgrounds. The Political Chessboard Set The rally was more than a flash of nostalgia. This reunion isn't merely communicative; it's strategic. With the BMC polls on the horizon, a reunited Thackeray front could threaten the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's dominance in urban Marathi constituencies. But questions remain. Will this unity extend beyond rhetoric and symbolism? Can two fiercely independent political identities work together in the trenches of civic polls? What would seat-sharing look like? And can egos be managed when votes are at stake? Yet, despite the uncertainty, Saturday's moment in Worli felt like something far bigger than a photo op. It was an emotional reset, a political recalibration, and a reminder that in Maharashtra, identity politics still has the power to unify as much as divide. Uddhav Thackeray strongly said, 'This is just the beginning.' If this is the opening trailer of a larger narrative, Maharashtra's political environment, and particularly the BMC polls, may soon witness a game-changing sequel. But for now, one thing is clear: the Thackeray brand has returned, and it's speaking in unison.
The Hindu
37 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Ramachander Rao takes charge as BJP Telangana chief, vows to win local body elections
Senior leader and former MLC N. Ramachander Rao has assumed office as Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Telangana unit president at the party's State headquarters in Hyderabad on Saturday (July 5, 2025). He claimed that the people of the State are looking towards the party as they were disappointed with the ruling Congress. Addressing the media after formally taking charge, Mr. Rao said that his top priorities include ensuring the party wins a majority of seats in the upcoming local body elections and strengthening the party from the grassroots level with a focus on improving its rural base. 'In a brief span of time, the Congress has earned substantial opposition from the public due to its non-implementation of the six guarantees and 420 promises,' he claimed, adding that not a single promise made in the 2023 [Assembly] election manifesto was fully met by the Congress government. Accusing the Congress of deceiving the people, he urged party activists to wage a 'righteous war' (Dharma Yuddham) against the ruling Congress rule in the State and strive to ensure the BJP attains power in the next general elections. He also wrote a letter to Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, stressing the need to fulfill poll promises. Referring to All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge's allegations against the Modi government, made at the 'Social Justice Samara Bheri' meeting held at L.B. Stadium on Friday (July 4, 2025), Mr. Rao slammed Mr. Kharge, stating that it was the Congress party that had governed the nation for about 55 years and ruined it. 'Instead of addressing the BC issues, Kharge used the meeting just to make allegations against the Modi government,' he said. Mr. Rao also suspected the sincerity of the State government in implementing the 42% reservation. 'The Congress government would have consulted legal experts before passing the bills for BC reservations if it was really committed to the welfare and advancement of the BCs,' he said, citing legal issues. He also referred to the AICC as the 'All India Cheating Congress'. Rejecting the Congress's claims that the party would retain power by winning 100 MLA seats in the next elections, Mr. Rao said, 'It is not the Congress, but the BJP that will win 100 MLAs and attain power in the state.' Earlier, Mr. Rao offered special prayers at the Bhagyalakshmi temple near Charminar and later paid floral tributes at the Telangana Martyrs Memorial at Gun Park before reaching the party's state office in a rally.
