Rahul Gandhi Slams Odisha BJP Govt for ‘Handing Over State Resources to Billionaires’

Bhubaneswar, July 11: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi launched a blistering attack on the BJP-led Odisha government on Thursday, accusing it of surrendering the state’s natural wealth—land, water, forests, and minerals—to a handful of industrial tycoons including Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani.

Speaking at the ‘Sambidhan Bachao’ (Save the Constitution) rally held at Baramunda Ground in Bhubaneswar, Gandhi alleged that the current government in Odisha is being run not for the people, but for big business houses. “This government has handed over land, mines, forests, and water to just four or five big industrial houses. It no longer belongs to the people but to industrialists like Adani,” he said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha also pointed fingers at the previous BJD government, claiming both regimes were complicit in allowing Odisha’s resources to be monopolized by a few private players. He cited the instance during the Puri Rath Yatra, where the chariot of Lord Jagannath was allegedly halted for the Adani family, as an example of industrialist overreach.

“Development should not be limited to just two or three billionaires. It must reach the poor, Dalits, Adivasis, and backward communities,” Gandhi said, criticizing Prime Minister Narendra Modi for favoring corporate houses under schemes like Fasal Bima Yojana while neglecting farmers’ welfare.

He also accused the Odisha government of forcefully evicting Adivasis from their ancestral lands and denying them rightful land pattas, while the same lands are being allotted to major corporations. “Jal (water), Jungle (forest), and Jameen (land) belong to the Adivasis and will remain with them,” he declared, promising to restore these rights if the Congress comes to power.

Addressing the crowd, Gandhi asserted that the Constitution guarantees equal rights and protections for the marginalized, and not for billionaires. “Nowhere in the Constitution is it written that it belongs to Adani or Ambani,” he added.

Raising concerns over women’s safety in the state, Gandhi claimed that over 40,000 women have gone missing in Odisha, with many cases of sexual violence going unaddressed. “Every day, 15 women are subjected to sexual abuse or rape in this state,” he alleged.

The Congress leader also pushed for a nationwide caste census, asserting that only such a measure can bring real change and empowerment for Dalits, Adivasis, and backward communities in Odisha.

He further accused the Election Commission of India (ECI) of being biased in favor of the BJP. He questioned the legitimacy of a sudden surge of one crore new voters in Maharashtra between the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections and warned that similar attempts were being made in Bihar.

Lastly, Gandhi thanked the Drivers’ Federation for supporting the Congress rally, despite alleged pressure from the ruling BJP to disrupt transportation services. “They failed. I thank the drivers who stood firm and ensured Congress workers could reach this rally,” he said.

The rally marks a significant escalation in Congress’s political offensive in Odisha as the party positions itself as a challenger to both BJP and BJD in the state.