Bhubaneswar: A day after Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik accused Odisha’s BJP government of conspiring to stop the salary of Mission Shakti staff, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida Wednesday alleged that the previous BJD government used women as “vote bank”.
Parida, who is also the minister in charge of Women & Child Development and Mission Shakti, said this while replying to a debate on the admissibility of an adjournment motion in the Assembly.
‘Mission Shakti’ is a scheme for empowering women through promotion of Self Help Groups to take up various socio-economic activities which was launched in the state in 2001.
“The Leader of Opposition has alleged that the BJP is conspiring. Whoever says this has himself put women on the mountain of conspiracy and left them in a hanging position. The BJD government turned Mission Shakti movement like a polio-infected child,” Parida said.
Parida’s statement came after opposition members expressed concern over the plight of thousands of women agitators who have been spending winter nights under open sky on the streets.
The women belonging to different categories of Mission Shakti supporting staff, have been sitting on dharna for three days on Mahatma Gandhi Marg near the Assembly building and close to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi’s official residence. Some of them also brought their children to the dharna site.
The women are on a stir demanding their pending salaries for the last six months. However, the state government is of the opinion that their service period has expired in April this year and the previous BJD government did not renew their services.
As the issue was repeatedly raised in the Assembly and many opposition BJD and Congress MLAs joined the agitating women members at the dharna site, the state government blamed the previous regime for not regularising their service six months ago.
Parida said, “It is a complete lie that the government is silent. The department commissioner and secretary had met a delegation of agitating Mission Shakti support staff. They said they would withdraw from the protest, but they did not. The government is aware of their livelihood.”
While countering the opposition criticism, the deputy CM held the previous BJD government responsible for their plights.
“I have already said that no one should misguide the women. Do not be misled by anyone’s words. I told them that the government would take some measures to take care of their livelihood. They should not be misguided,” Parida said.
As the opposition alleged that the not paying salary to them would affect women’s empowerment process in the state, Parida said, “The agitating women were not Mission Shakti members, but they are supporting staff.”
She also made it clear that the supporting staff who completed 5-year term, have already received their salaries. And the government has already given instructions November 4, 2024, to pay salaries to those who have not completed their 5-year term, Parida said.
The deputy CM also alleged that the Mission Shakti movement failed in the state due to the previous BJD government.
“For petty political purposes, the BJD did not want the overall development of women. BJD used them as a vote bank. Though the previous government was beating the drum for women’s empowerment, in reality, it turned out to be a big failure,” she said.
She said had the previous BJD government wanted to renew the contract before the implementation of the model code of conduct for elections, they would not have to come to the streets today.
BJD members like RP Swain, Arun Kumar Sahoo and Sujata Sahu lambasted the BJP government and accused it of conspiring against the Mission Shakti movement in the state.
Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam and Cuttack-Barabati MLA Sofia Firdous blamed both the BJD and the BJP for the plight of women.
They urged the state government to resolve the issue and pay salaries to the 60,000 women who have actually worked in the field during the difficult time of natural calamities and the Covid-19 pandemic.
PTI
