Bhubaneswar, April 26: BJD Member of Parliament (MP) Sulata Deo on Sunday criticized the BJP-led "double-engine" government, claiming that women in Odisha are the most vulnerable under its rule. She cited numerous incidents of crimes against women across the state and highlighted the unsafe conditions for women, especially those from marginalized communities.
Speaking to ANI, Deo stated, "Under the current 'double-engine' government in Odisha, women are the most unsafe. Look at the conditions of young girls, tribal women, Dalits, and minors—women are constantly being assaulted. Take any district, and you will see this trend. Just recently, a six-year-old girl in Brahmagiri fell victim to such a crime. The local MLA, a woman, is nowhere to be found. Instead, she is busy campaigning in West Bengal for votes. This is their attitude towards women. Mentally, they are anti-women."
Deo also raised concerns about the potential impact of delimitation on Odisha’s representation, alleging that the state’s share is being reduced. "When we first heard about the delimitation process and the census being linked to it, we realized that Odisha's proportion was decreasing. Earlier, our share was 3.9%, giving us 21 seats out of 543. Now, it has been reduced to 3.4%. Why is this happening?" Deo asked.
She also addressed the issue of women’s representation in legislative bodies, citing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. While the BJP had celebrated the passing of the bill, Deo questioned why the government had not implemented it. "Our demand was clear: out of the 543 seats in Parliament, 33%, or 180 seats, should be reserved for women. But the BJP is not fulfilling that demand. This reveals their anti-women mindset."
On April 17, the Opposition in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill that aimed to implement women’s reservation. During the three-day Special Session from April 16 to 18, the bill was discussed by several key figures, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and leaders from the Opposition parties such as Samajwadi Party's Akhilesh Yadav, AIMIM's Asaduddin Owaisi, and Congress’s KC Venugopal.
The Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposed women’s reservation, failed to pass in the Lok Sabha due to opposition from the INDIA bloc, which refused to support the linked delimitation process. In the division vote on the bill, 298 members voted in favor while 230 voted against. Following the defeat of the amendment, the government announced that it would not pursue the two other related bills, as they were interdependent. ( With Agency Input)
