Finally, as requested in my letter, the government has called a special session of the House to discuss the ‘131st Constitutional Amendment Bill’-Naveen Patnaik

However, before coming to that point, I am deeply moved to raise a serious issue related to the rights and dignity of women in our state today. Odisha is bowing its head in shame today, as the family of a woman had to dig up her skeleton from her grave and take it to the bank to prove her death and get her dues. After the death of her sister, her brother repeatedly approached the bank to withdraw the deposited amount and requested the bank officials to complete the related work, but the officials harassed him and asked for proof of death.

And the most shocking thing is that after showing the skeleton as evidence at the bank, he had to carry the same skeleton home on foot. This shows the utter negligence and zero accountability of the administration led by an insensitive state government.

This is the condition of our women today… This is what the ‘New York Post’ and ‘BBC’ have reported about Odisha and this is what the whole world is reading about us. While banking services are a central issue, the ‘double engine government’ has completely failed the people of Odisha, with the insensitive state government.

Such inhumane rule has never been seen in the history of Odisha. For the first time, the United States (USA) has had to issue an advisory to its citizens not to visit Odisha, expressing concern over the atrocities being committed against women in Odisha.

The BJP government in the state has no right to talk about the respect and empowerment of women. The administration is limited to false propaganda and show-offs. The Chief Minister should introspect before making any statement. Such a sad and shameful incident happening in the Chief Minister’s own district is a glaring example of the deplorable state of Odisha.

If we raise the issue of the Constitution Amendment Bill, then there are two issues that need to be discussed here. The first is the ‘Women’s Protection Bill’; which was unanimously passed in Parliament in 2023. BJD strongly supported this bill in Parliament and even today we demand that it be implemented immediately.

Under the leadership of Biju Patnaik, Odisha was the first state to implement 33% reservation for women in all Panchayati Raj institutions. In 2011, my government increased it to 50%. We had given 33% tickets to women in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections as well. Can BJP say they have done the same? Apart from making big speeches about women’s rights and making up false narratives to mislead the people, BJP has done nothing in Odisha. I would like to remind you once again that people cannot be fooled forever.

Linking the ‘Women’s Protection Bill’, which has already been passed in Parliament, with the ‘Delimitation Bill’ is a secret and cowardly attempt to impose delimitation on the people without any discussion. My letter to the Chief Minister and my appeal to all 21 MPs of Odisha on this issue have made the Biju Janata Dal’s stance clear.

But it is a matter of serious concern that the BJP is spreading misinformation on such an important issue that is taking away the unique identity and political voice of Odisha. This ‘Delimitation Bill’ seeks to reduce the political rights of our people, especially the future generations. I reiterate, if we support this ‘Delimitation Bill’, history will never forgive us.

‘I give hope to the people of Odisha. As long as I am here, no one can deprive Odisha of its rights. Odisha BJP MLAs should stop crying crocodile tears for women,” he said.