Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday assumed the role of the Leader of the Opposition for the first time in his more than 27-year-old political career.

On the opening day of the first session of the 17th Assembly, Naveen remarkably played the role of an effective Leader of the Opposition and cornered the government over its failure to take action against the governor’s son who has been accused of assaulting a government officer.

For 24 years of the 27 years he has spent in public life, Naveen remained the chief minister of the state. Naveen, who stepped into politics in 1997 following the formation of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), was elected as MP from the Aska Lok Sabha constituency and later became a central minister during the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. In 2000, he took over the mantle of chief ministership and remained in that seat for 24 years.

On the opening day of the Assembly, Naveen came to the House quietly and sat on the designated chair meant for the Leader of the Opposition. On the other hand, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi sat on the chair where Naveen used to sit for the last 24 years. On his first day as the Opposition leader, the entire Opposition boycotted the governor’s address to the Assembly. It accused the government of failing to initiate action against the governor’s son who is accused of beating a government officer. By demanding action, the BJD quickly seized upon the issue of “Odia Asmita”, an election plank of the BJP during the 2024 general election.

Outside the House, Naveen said: “My party and I were disappointed and surprised to find that the present government has taken no action against the governor’s son who had meted out violence to a government officer. We are deeply shocked by this. Law and order seem to have broken down in our state. When I was in government, ministers, MLAs, MPs and senior government servants, if they broke the law immediate action was taken. The state government must act according to the law. Because of this, my party marched out of this empty hall at the beginning of this session.”

Governor Raghubar Das’ son has been accused of beating and misbehaving with a staff of the Raj Bhavan at Puri. Though a police complaint has been registered, no action has been taken against the governor’s son. On the contrary, the victim government officer Baikuntha Pradhan, an assistant section officer, has been shifted from the Governor’s House to the home department.

Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan said: “Instruction has been issued to Puri collector to submit a report on the issue within 15 days. Action will be taken on the basis of the report. The state government is completely aware of the incident and law will take its own course. I appeal to the Opposition MLAs to have patience.”

Naveen expressed shock and disbelief at reports stating that the Centre has lifted the ban on government employees’ participation in the activities of organisations like RSS. “I cannot believe it. It seems utterly shocking,” he told reporters here on Monday. Naveen has always upheld the principles of secularism and maintained a safe distance from organisations with a communal tint.