The Biju Yuva Janata Dal (BYJD) and the Biju Chhatra Janata Dal (BCJD) — the youth and student wings of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) — staged a large demonstration at Lower PMG in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday, 22 September, demanding the resignation of School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over what the party describes as widespread errors in Odisha's state school textbooks. Thousands of members turned out in the rain to press their demands, in what the BJD is framing as a direct assault on the educational future of the state's children.

Scale of the Alleged Errors

The BJD claims to have identified more than 1,678 errors across textbooks published for Class I to Class VIII under the National Education Policy (NEP-2020) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led state government. The opposition party alleges that the government was aware of these mistakes yet went ahead and distributed the books to students across Odisha. With examinations approaching, BJD leaders questioned how students could be expected to prepare using error-riddled study material.

Corruption Allegations and Ministerial Accountability

BJD leaders went further, alleging a financial dimension to the controversy. 'A ₹380-crore scam has taken place in the publication of the textbooks. Departmental Minister Shri Nityananda Gond is also involved in this corruption. Despite the demand for his resignation, the Minister has not stepped down, and therefore the agitation has been intensified,' the party alleged. The BJD also noted what it called a selective approach to accountability — claiming that lower-level employees had been arrested while senior officials faced no consequences.

On-Ground Protest and Legislative Disruption

BYJD state president Chinmoy Sahu and BCJD state president Ipsita Sahu led Tuesday's demonstration. According to the party, its wings have been running a round-the-clock dharna in front of the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The Assembly itself was adjourned amid opposition uproar over the textbook issue, after which BJD MLAs marched from the Assembly premises to the dharna site and joined the protest in the rain. This is a notable escalation from indoor legislative opposition to street-level agitation.

What Comes Next

The BYJD and BCJD have announced a gherao of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, 23 September, with both organisations saying thousands of students and youth members will participate. The BJD warned that its agitation would intensify further if the government fails to replace the error-ridden textbooks and remove Minister Gond from the Council of Ministers. The state government has not issued a public response to the allegations as of the time of this report.