Naveen Patnaik demands Odisha Education Minister's resignation over textbook errors
Synopsis
Naveen Patnaik is invoking the NEET resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan to demand Odisha Education Minister Nityananda Gond's ouster over school textbook errors — and Congress has set a seven-day countdown before calling an Odisha Bandh. The ruling BJP calls it political theatre, but with two opposition parties aligned and a deadline ticking, the Odisha government is under real pressure.
Key Takeaways
BJD President Naveen Patnaik demanded the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond on Monday over textbook errors in Class I to VIII books.
Patnaik cited former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak as the precedent Gond should follow.
OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das issued a seven-day ultimatum , threatening an Odisha Bandh and a gherao of Gond's residence.
Ruling BJP Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena dismissed the demands as 'baseless and politically motivated.' The BJP accused both the BJD and Congress of political opportunism over the textbook controversy.
Biju Janata Dal (BJD) President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Monday called for the immediate resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over widespread printing and content errors discovered in newly distributed textbooks for Class I to VIII across the state. The demand, made in Bhubaneswar, marks an escalation in a controversy that has gripped Odisha's political landscape for nearly three weeks.
What Patnaik Said
Addressing media persons, Patnaik drew a direct parallel with former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who stepped down following the NEET paper leak controversy. 'As you know, there have been a number of mistakes in textbooks of the students in our state. He (Education Minister Nityananda Gond) should follow the example of Dharmendra Pradhan and resign from his post as education minister. That is what the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been demanding for the past two or three weeks,' Patnaik said.
Congress Joins the Pressure Campaign
The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakta Charan Das on Sunday issued a seven-day ultimatum to the state government, warning that the Congress would call for an Odisha Bandh if no action is taken on the resignation demand. Das also threatened to gherao the residence of Minister Gond, signalling that opposition pressure is set to intensify in the days ahead.
BJP Hits Back, Calls Demands 'Baseless'
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) swiftly pushed back. Odisha Mines, Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena dismissed Patnaik's demand as 'baseless and politically motivated', arguing that seeking resignations has become the Opposition's standard playbook. Jena praised Pradhan, noting that he acted decisively in the NEET case by ordering a CBI probe and ensuring affected students could reappear for the examination. The BJP further accused both the BJD and Congress of exploiting the textbook controversy for political gain.
The Textbook Error Controversy
The dispute centres on what opposition parties describe as 'extensive publication errors' in school textbooks distributed to students from Class I through Class VIII in Odisha this academic year. The errors, the nature of which has not been independently verified by the government in public statements, have drawn sustained criticism since they came to light roughly two to three weeks ago. This comes amid a broader national conversation on education quality and accountability, following the NEET controversy at the Centre.
What Happens Next
With the Congress setting a seven-day deadline and the BJD maintaining sustained pressure, the Odisha government faces a tightening window to respond substantively. Whether Minister Gond will address the textbook errors directly — or whether the controversy will translate into street-level protests — will likely determine the political temperature in the state over the coming week.
Point of View
Which the BJP will exploit. More importantly, the real accountability question — how textbooks with 'extensive errors' cleared state procurement and printing approvals — remains unanswered by both the government and the opposition. A demand for a minister's head, without a parallel demand for a systemic audit, risks turning a genuine education-quality failure into a short-cycle political spectacle.
NationPress
27 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is Naveen Patnaik demanding the resignation of Odisha's Education Minister?
Naveen Patnaik is demanding the resignation of Odisha School and Mass Education Minister Nityananda Gond over widespread errors found in newly distributed textbooks for Class I to VIII students across the state. The BJD has been pressing this demand for approximately two to three weeks.
What is the connection to the NEET paper leak and Dharmendra Pradhan?
Patnaik explicitly invoked former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan's resignation over the NEET paper leak as a precedent, arguing that Gond should follow the same standard of accountability for the Odisha textbook error controversy.
What has the Congress threatened over the textbook issue?
OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das issued a seven-day ultimatum on Sunday, warning that if the Odisha government does not act on the resignation demand, the Congress will call for an Odisha Bandh and gherao the residence of Minister Gond.
How has the Odisha government responded to the resignation demands?
BJP Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena dismissed the demands as baseless and politically motivated, arguing that seeking resignations is the opposition's routine approach. The BJP also accused both the BJD and Congress of political opportunism.
What are the textbook errors at the centre of this controversy?
The controversy involves what opposition parties describe as extensive publication errors in school textbooks distributed to Class I through Class VIII students in Odisha this academic year. The government has not made a detailed public statement on the nature or scale of the errors.
