Bhubaneswar: Odisha Congress has intensified its attack on the BJP government at both the Centre and state following the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, with PCC President Bhakta Charan Das demanding the immediate resignation of state School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond and threatening an ‘Odisha Bandh’ if the demand is not met in 7 days.
Addressing a press conference in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Das said the BJP’s “countdown has begun” after the ‘Gen Z’ movement and claimed Pradhan’s resignation came under pressure, not voluntarily.
“The BJP government has stopped schemes for the poor and ignored the youth. After Rahul Gandhi’s movement, a new hope has spread among the youth of the country. Today, the youth are raising their voices for their rights,” Das said.
He alleged that discontent against the BJP is growing nationwide due to “atrocities on children and irregularities in the education system.”7-Day Ultimatum To State Govt
Targeting the Odisha government, Das said the state Mass Education Minister should also step down on moral grounds following Pradhan’s resignation.
“We are giving the government 7 days. If the Minister does not resign within this period, Congress will hold an ‘Odisha Bandh’ in the coming days,” he announced.Das further said a large-scale ‘Gen G’ movement will be launched in the state and the Congress will fully support it. “The state Congress will bear all the expenses of this movement. We will stand firmly with the protesting youth,” he said.
The PCC President alleged that the BJP government in Odisha had “endangered the future of students” by allowing more than 2,200 errors in school textbooks. He questioned why Gond had not resigned over the issue. Expressing surprise that Odisha had not seen large-scale student protests like the Jantar Mantar agitation, Das said he was confident the state’s youth would eventually join the movement.
Das clarified that the Congress campaign was not limited to seeking ministerial resignations but was aimed at comprehensive reforms in the education system. Responding to a query on whether district and block-level protest programmes announced by OPCC would be withdrawn after Pradhan’s resignation, he said:
“The minister’s resignation is only one of several demands. As long as the government does not accept all our demands, the candlelight marches, satyagraha and block-level protests will continue as scheduled.” Congress leaders said the party will intensify its agitation across Odisha until the state Education Minister steps down.
