Bhubaneswar: The youth and student wings of Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) have announced that they would gherao the Odisha Assembly during the upcoming Monsoon Session seeking the resignation of School and Mass Education (S&ME) Minister Nityananda Gond in connection with the alleged collapse of the education system in the state. 

The Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) would gherao the Odisha Assembly on September 22 and 23 if the S&ME Minister did not resign from his post prior to the commencement of the Monsoon Session. The activists of BYJD and BCJD would sit on an indefinite dharna in front of the Assembly from September 22, announced the Opposition party.

“There were serious errors in the textbooks prescribed for students from Class I to Class VIII, yet the state government has not withdrawn them. Examinations of the students are going to be conducted within the next few days. How will students appear for examinations after studying from error-ridden textbooks?” said BYJD president Chinmay Sahu in a presser in the capital city on Sunday.

Sahu alleged that the BJP government in Odisha had awarded tender for the publication of new textbooks to an influential leader of the ruling party. “The tender for publication of the new textbooks was awarded to an influential BJP leader associated with the Central government. In order to ensure smooth release of funds, the state government has turned a blind eye to the errors. There was a Rs 380 crore scam in the publication of new textbooks. The S&ME Minister was also involved in the scam,” he said.

The BYJD chief has asked the state government to take immediate steps for withdrawal of the error-ridden textbooks, a high-level probe into the irregularities and dismissal of the S&ME Minister as part of the remedial measures.

“While speaking on the errors in the textbooks, the Chief Minister has admitted that there was a conspiracy to tarnish the image of the state government. Yet, the government is hesitating to act against the culprits. Some lower-level officials were arrested but the authorities are yet to initiate action against the big players,” Sahu alleged.

BCJD president Ipsita Sahu, meanwhile, claimed that the education system in Odisha has collapsed during the BJP rule. “The BJP government has systematically damaged the education system in Odisha by publishing error-ridden textbooks under the National Education Policy (NEP 2020). The government is unwilling to accept its mistakes,” she said.