An editorial by ruling-BJD vice-president Soumya Ranjan Patnaik in a newspaper on Thursday has triggered a political row. In his editorial, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik levelled serious allegations of misreporting of the actual Covid19 deaths in Odisha. As per Patnaik, the controversy over COVID19 deaths in the state has surfaced on account of the administrative lapses and negligence which is tarnishing the image of the Odisha government. Citing that there would have been no harm in publishing the actual data on deaths, Soumya Ranjan Patnaik wrote that the obsession to remain on top and cling on to past glory has resulted in this situation. The left doesn’t know what the right hand is doing, opined Patnaik, demanding his party president & CM Naveen Patnaik to publish a white paper on COVID19 fatalities. Such opinions from the senior leader of the ruling party, has triggered a political storm with the opposition parties BJP and Congress targeting the BJD and demanding a white paper on Covid19 deaths.