The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has sharply escalated its campaign against the Odisha state government, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over 1,678 errors found in newly published textbooks for Classes I to VIII. The controversy, which has drawn widespread criticism from opposition parties and educationists, shows no signs of abating.

BJD Youth Wings Take to the Streets

On Tuesday, members of the Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) — the youth and student wings of the BJD — staged a peaceful demonstration in Bhubaneswar, pressing for Minister Gond's resignation and a CBI probe into the textbook errors. The protest marks a visible intensification of the opposition's street-level pressure on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Naveen Patnaik's Strongly Worded Intervention

BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik posted a pointed statement on his X handle, framing the issue as a breach of generational trust rather than a mere administrative lapse. “A child may question many things, but never the words printed in a school textbook. Those words are an article of absolute faith and trust. Through textbooks, an entire generation learns not only facts but also builds faith in the system and trust in society,” Patnaik wrote.

He argued that the damage from such errors goes far deeper than a printing mistake. “The callous handling of school textbooks by the Odisha BJP government has betrayed that sacred trust. The victims are lakhs of students, the future generation of Odisha – the torchbearers of tomorrow. By printing error-ridden textbooks and then flip-flopping on their withdrawal, we are shaking the very foundation of our children’s tomorrow,” he alleged.

Patnaik also raised a pointed accountability question: “A government may correct a textbook in the next edition. But who will take responsibility for the cost of shattering the faith of an entire generation of Odia children? Who will answer for the wound inflicted on their trust, a wound that no revision can heal?”

Government's Response So Far

Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has already suspended four senior officials, including former Director of Teachers’ Training and State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) head Manoj Padhi, and initiated disciplinary proceedings against six others. The action followed an inquiry report submitted by a committee headed by the Development Commissioner to examine the textbook errors. However, the BJD has argued that suspending officials falls short of the accountability the situation demands.

Scale of the Error and What Comes Next

The textbook controversy erupted after 1,678 errors were identified across the newly published books — a figure that has alarmed parents, teachers, and education experts alike. The opposition has criticised the government's handling as inconsistent, pointing to what it calls “flip-flopping” on the withdrawal of the faulty books. Notably, this controversy comes at a politically sensitive time, with the BJD seeking to rebuild its opposition credentials after losing power in the state. Whether Minister Gond will face further consequences or the government will move to replace the textbooks ahead of the next academic cycle remains to be seen.