Political Clash Over Paradip's Naphtha Cracker Project

The opposition party BJD claims the Odisha BJP-led government is misleading the public by rebranding previously approved projects, such as the IOCL's naphtha cracker project in Paradip, as new. They argue these projects had already secured necessary approvals under the previous administration headed by Naveen Patnaik.

The political arena in Odisha witnessed a stir as the opposition BJD accused the ruling BJP-led state government of rebranding old projects as new. The BJD's national spokesperson, Santrupt Misra, claimed the government is seeking undue credit for initiatives previously greenlit by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Central to the controversy is a naphtha cracker project in Paradip. Misra highlighted a letter from Patnaik to Prime Minister Modi, dated January 11, 2018, seeking expansion approval for Indian Oil, which included the cracker plant. The previous government had approved this in 2019, he maintained.

Highlighting further grievances, Misra asked for updates on other stalled projects from Patnaik's era, like the JSW EV and Welspun Textiles projects. Meanwhile, the BJP has yet to respond to these allegations, maintaining silence on the matter.

(With inputs from agencies.)