Bhubaneswar, Oct 7 (PTI) The Naveen Patnaik-led BJD on Wednesday decided to stay away from the Odisha bandh called by INDIA bloc parties on October 8 against the new mining law, errors in school textbooks and the SIR exercise, asserting that it would remain equidistant from the BJP-led NDA and Congress-led opposition alliance.
The decision came a day after BJD leaders joined an opposition protest in Delhi seeking the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over alleged irregularities in the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The 12-hour bandh, called by nine parties of the INDIA bloc for Thursday, is also demanding the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over alleged errors in school textbooks.
“BJD is neither supporting nor opposing the bandh called for tomorrow. As we focus on the rights of the people in Odisha, we remain equidistant from both the BJP and Congress,” BJD media coordinator Lenin Mohanty told reporters.
Though some BJD leaders had favoured supporting the bandh, the party eventually decided to stick to its policy of maintaining equidistance from both political blocs.
Mohanty said the BJD had independently opposed several policies of the BJP government, including the MMDR Amendment Act, 2026, and the publication of school textbooks containing alleged errors.
“We opposed the MMDR Amendment Act 2026 and went to the streets. We also protested against books consisting of more than 1,800 errors,” he said.
Mohanty said the party had also joined the opposition parties’ march in Delhi demanding Kumar’s resignation over alleged disenfranchisement of voters through the SIR.
“As we are working for the cause of the state, other political parties are also carrying out their programmes,” Mohanty said.
Meanwhile, INDIA bloc parties stepped up preparations for the bandh.
Leaders of Congress, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) Liberation, Forward Bloc, NCP (Sharad Pawar), Samajwadi Party, RJD and JMM held a meeting here and appealed to people to participate in the strike.
They also held a torchlight rally and took a pledge to protect Article 326 of the Constitution, which provides for elections to the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies on the basis of adult suffrage.
They said essential services such as hospitals, ambulances, fire services, medicine shops and milk supply would remain exempt from the bandh.
Odisha BJP president Manmohan Samal said the bandh would have no impact on people.
The state government directed district collectors and superintendents of police to take necessary measures to maintain law and order during the bandh. PTI AAM AAM SOM
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