Odisha emerging as most corrupt state in the country, says BJP spokesperson

Continuing its attack on the Odisha government, the BJP on Friday alleged that the 'quantity of looted government property is rising in proportionate to the number of cases' in the state.

Citing National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report, state BJP spokesperson Anil Biswal said, as many as 88 Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases were filed in 2019; the number rose to 93 in 2020 and stood at 92 in 2021, which is the highest in the country.

"Odisha has now emerged as the most corrupt State in the country... Property worth Rs 107 crore were seized in 2021. The looted amount rose to Rs 174 crore in 2022," Biswal tweeted.

He further claimed that if the trend persists, the cost of seized amount will cross Rs 250 crore in 2023. Due to these corrupt practices, people of Odisha now say CMO stands for Corruption Mobilization Office, he added.

Earlier, Biswal had shared a video in which he had shown placards highlighting some statistics about Odisha.

He claimed that even after 23 years of uninterrupted rule of Naveen Patnaik as CM, Odisha has now the third lowest per capita income and the lowest farmers’ income in the country. The foreign direct investment (FDI) stands at 0.01 percent, Biswal stated.

As far as crime against women is concerned, Biswal alleged that while Odisha has registered the highest number of serious crimes against women, the conviction rate stands at a mere 5.7 percent- the lowest in the country.

Apart from that the state has the highest number of Disproportionate Assets (DA) cases, he claimed adding that no Odisha government University features even among the top 100 varsities in the country.

Comments of the ruling BJD leaders could not be obtained over the allegations.