Opposition criticizes Odisha minister for having his PSO carry him through a landslide-hit area

Bhubaneswar: Odisha minister Rabi Narayan Naik sparked a controversy on Monday after a viral video appeared to show him being carried on the back of his personal security officer during a visit to a landslide-affected area in Kandhamal district. While opposition parties described the act as “insensitive” and raised questions about the treatment of security personnel, the minister’s office said he had taken help from his PSO to protect his injured and bandaged leg. Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhakta Charan Das said, “The minister being carried on the shoulders of his PSO to avoid getting his shoes soiled in the muddy water while visiting a disaster site in Kandhamal reveals a complete lack of sensitivity.” He added that people in the state were deeply hurt by the panchayati raj minister’s behaviour, especially at a time when residents of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal districts are struggling with the devastation caused by floods and landslides.

BJD spokesperson Dr Lenin Mohanty also condemned the incident, calling it “not only astonishing but also deeply disturbing.” He said it raised serious concerns about human dignity, the treatment of security personnel and the functioning of the state government. Responding to the criticism, the minister’s office rejected the allegations and said the opposition did not understand his physical condition. According to the office, Naik visited the disaster-hit people in Kandhamal despite having a bandage on his leg.

“The minister walked all along the route to the landslide area, but took help of his PSO to protect the bandage on his leg. He did not do it with any ill intention or to show rude behaviour to anyone. It is often seen in places that a patient takes help of someone else while climbing a step of a difficult road,” a staff member from the minister’s office said.

However, the BJD spokesperson said the BJP-led state government appeared increasingly weighed down by internal contradictions, administrative confusion and poor coordination. He argued that the incident had exposed how far removed those in power have become from ground realities. Mohanty further said that after cyclone Arnab, the people of Ganjam and Gajapati districts have been facing serious hardships because of what he called “a man-made disaster arising from administrative failures and inadequate disaster management.” “The growing frustration among ordinary citizens is evident from the public resentment and heckling faced by MLAs and ministers during their visits to different parts of the state,” he said.

“This reflects the increasing disappointment of people with the government’s performance and its failure to respond effectively to their concerns.”