Bhubaneswar: BJD chief Naveen Patnaik Saturday asserted that his party has consistently stood for women’s empowerment, while accusing Odisha BJP MPs of being exposed as none of them raised objections to the Delimitation Bill, which he said sought to reduce the state’s political representation.
Patnaik’s remarks came in response to the BJP’s allegations branding the BJD as “anti-women” for opposing the linking of the Women’s Reservation Bill with the delimitation proposal.
A Constitution Amendment Bill to implement reservation for women in legislatures in 2029 and increase the number of seats of the Lok Sabha was defeated Friday in the Lower House.
While 298 members voted in support of the Bill, 230 MPs voted against it. Out of 528 members who voted, the Bill required 352 votes for a two-thirds majority.
Patnaik had urged all MPs, including the BJP’s 20 Lok Sabha members from the state, to oppose the delimitation bill as it was against Odisha’s interests.
“The BJD has always stood for women’s empowerment from the panchayat level up to Parliament. However, we are completely against reducing the political power of Odisha through delimitation,” Patnaik said.
He alleged that not a single BJP MP from Odisha raised concerns over the Bill, which he claimed would reduce the state’s representation in Parliament from 3.9 per cent to 3.4 per cent.
“By supporting the reduction of political power for Odisha, the BJP stands exposed before the people of the state,” he said, adding that the people were “shocked” at the silence of BJP MPs.
Patnaik assured that BJD would continue to fight for Odisha’s rights while reaffirming its commitment to women’s empowerment, and warned that the proposed constitutional amendment could affect the state’s representation.
In a social media post, BJD asked, “Why hasn’t the BJP implemented the ‘Women’s Reservation Bill’ passed in Parliament in 2023 even today? BJD has always given respect and rights to women. BJD foiled BJP’s conspiracy to silence the voice of Odisha through the Delimitation Bill.”
Addressing a press conference at Sankha Bhawan, BJD vice-president Pramila Mallik strongly condemned the BJP’s 20 Lok Sabha MPs for voting in favour of the Delimitation Bill, which intended to harm Odisha. “This is unfortunate that BJP MPs voted against Odisha’s interests,” he added.
She also highlighted that the Odisha Assembly had passed a unanimous resolution in 2018 for 33 per cent reservation for women and said BJD had ensured adequate representation for women in elections.
Meanwhile, the Odisha BJP accused Patnaik of “betraying Biju Patnaik’s legacy” by aligning with the Congress on certain parliamentary issues and opposing the amendment bill.
“Naveen Babu, true empowerment means giving women a real seat at the decision-making table, not just making empty claims. Teaming up with Congress for the Rajya Sabha on Biju Babu’s birth anniversary (March 5), and then joining them to oppose this crucial women’s rights bill on his death anniversary (Apr 17), betrays his legacy and the women of Odisha,” Odisha BJP said in a X post.
PTI