Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJP and Opposition BJD Wednesday held separate programmes ahead of the three-day special session of Parliament on the Women’s Reservation Bill, each claiming credit for championing women’s empowerment.
The BJP rank and file, including Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the proposed reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
On the other hand, BJD president Naveen Patnaik highlighted the contribution of former chief minister Biju Patnaik towards women’s upliftment in Odisha.
The BJP’s state unit organised an all-women two-wheeler rally in support of the proposed amendments to the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’, which provides for 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.
Hundreds of women and girls participated in the rally from AG Chowk to Ramadevi Women’s University here.
Organised by the BJP Yuva Morcha, floral tributes were also paid to the statue of Ramadevi. State BJP women’s wing leader Aishwarya Biswal attended the event.
Earlier, the State Commission for Women organised a meeting on the Women’s Reservation Act, and it was attended by Assembly Speaker Surama Padhi, Majhi, his deputy Pravati Parida, Chief Secretary Anu Garg and Jnanpith awardee Pratibha Ray, among others.
Addressing the gathering, Majhi said the Narendra Modi government has launched several welfare programmes for women over the past 12 years, but termed the Women’s Reservation Act, 2023, as the most revolutionary decision and a major step towards women’s empowerment in independent India.
Meanwhile, at Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters, party leaders held discussions on the topic ‘Biju Babu — the great leader of women empowerment’.
Senior BJD vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said the Odisha assembly under Naveen Patnaik had passed a resolution supporting the Women’s Reservation Bill and that the party had sent delegations to 22 national and regional parties seeking support for the legislation.
In a statement, the BJD said Biju Patnaik had taken several initiatives for women, including setting up the Department of Women and Child Development, women police stations and women’s banks.
BJD women’s wing president Snehangini Chhuria, chief whip Pramila Mallik and other leaders spoke about the contributions of the Patnaik father-son duo towards women’s empowerment in the state.
The present BJP government has failed to ensure women’s safety and is engaged only in publicity campaigns, Mallik alleged.
BJD MLA Arun Kumar Sahoo said Biju Patnaik introduced 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions and urban local bodies in 1992, which was later increased to 50 per cent by Naveen Patnaik, who also created the Mission Shakti Department to promote women’s self-reliance.’