Bhubaneswar: BJD plans to raise issues like alleged errors in school textbooks, agrarian distress, coal royalty concerns and hurdles in the utilisation of MPLADS funds during the monsoon session of Parliament, which starts Monday.Addressing the media after attending an all-party meeting in New Delhi, BJD Rajya Sabha MP and its parliamentary party leader Manas Mangaraj said the party has identified several issues affecting Odisha that it intends to highlight in both houses of Parliament.Among the key concerns, the party plans to raise what it described as numerous errors in school textbooks introduced for classes I to VIII under NEP. Mangaraj alleged that mistakes in the books have adversely affected the education of more than 40 lakh students in the state and accused the Odisha govt of treating the issue casually.The BJD also intends to target the BJP govt in Odisha over its performance during the past two years. According to Mangaraj, issues such as agrarian distress, deteriorating law and order, and the state’s coal royalty share require detailed discussion in Parliament.BJP state president and Rajya Sabha MP Manmohan Samal said there is no issue if the opposition intends to put forward genuine proposals for discussion, while also urging cooperation from opposition MPs. “In the Rajya Sabha, we have the majority. Our goal is how the delimitation will be done and how women’s reservation Bill will be implemented. The BJP parliamentary party and NDA will take a joint decision. If BJD supports this, then there is no objection to it,” added Samal.Mangaraj, meanwhile, alleged that the state govt has been creating hurdles in the implementation of projects funded under MPLADS. He claimed proposals recommended by BJD MPs have remained pending since 2024, restricting the utilisation of funds earmarked for development works.
