Cuttack/Jajpur: Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) Friday held separate public meetings and claimed credit for championing women’s causes in the state.
The BJD accused the saffron party of “betraying” women by making false promises before the elections in 2024, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi countered the Opposition party allegation by saying that “respecting women is a fundamental principle of our (BJP) political training.”
The BJD held its public meeting ‘Mahila Jana Jagaran’ at Jajpur under the leadership of party’s senior leader Pramila Mallik. She and party vice president Debi Prasad Mishra accused the BJP government of “betraying” women.
“The BJP had promised to give Rs 50,000 to each woman in two years. However, now they are giving Rs 10,000 in two instalments in a year. What business a woman will do with capital of Rs 5,000”, asked Mishra.
Majhi along with his two Deputy Chief Ministers -KV Singh Deo and Pravati Parida – attended the ‘Nari Shakti Samabesh’ in Cuttack and came down heavily on the previous BJD government.
Claiming that respecting women was the fundamental training of the saffron outfit, Majhi said his government immediately after taking the oath of office June 12 last year took four major decisions including launching of Subhadra Yojana for women’s empowerment.
“The primary goal of the Nari Shakti Samabesh is to strengthen and elevate Odisha’s women as the state’s greatest asset,” Majhi said. He claimed that the Subhadra Yojana is Odisha’s largest-ever women’s welfare programme and a social welfare scheme that aims to empower women financially by connecting with every village and family, even in remote tribal areas.
The CM also claimed that his government was working to boost the economic condition of women through Self Help Groups (SHGs). “The women are using the assistance availed under Subhadra Yojana for businesses and farming. SHGs have received Rs 3,695 crore in business and Rs 300 crore in interest refunds,” Majhi said. He claimed that Odisha has created a record by creating over 16 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’.
While felicitating some Lakhpati Didis at the meeting, Majhi said his government has set a target to create one crore ‘Lakhpati Didis’ in coming years. He said more budget allocations have been made for women and children in the state. Majhi said as much as Rs 89,861 crore has been allocated in the 2025-26 budget for women-centric schemes like Chief Minister’s Sampurna Pushti Yojana (MSPY).
“Odisha is a model state in women’s empowerment and the state will serve as an inspiration for others,” he said.
Dy CM Parvati Parida said the BJP government holding ‘Nari Shakti Samabesh’, on the very first day of its second year in office symbolises both respect for women and a renewed commitment to building an equitable and progressive Odisha.
Mallik alleged that the BJP has betrayed women because a beneficiary of Subhadra Yojana gets Rs 27 per day. “How can Rs 27 a day help the women,” she asked and called it a “complete betrayal” of women by the BJP after getting their votes.
BJD leaders alleged that women and girls are not safe in Odisha as there have been reports of sexual assaults on them. “We demand re-introduction of Mahila and Sishu Desk in all police stations which helped the victims of sexual abuse in the state,” Mallik said, adding that a seven-point proposal was unanimously adopted by the women at the meeting.
The BJD leaders also alleged that the state’s BJP government has destroyed the economic independence of 70 lakh women in the state. Besides, the state government has also “failed” to control the prices of essential goods, provide systematic darshan in temples, maintain Odia pride, and purchase paddy from farmers.
The BJD meeting passed a political resolution on implementation of the 33 per cent reservation for women in Lok Sabha and Assembly elections in the 2029 polls according to the Nari Shakti Bandhan Act passed by Parliament.
PTI
