CM Majhi, Naveen spar as quota debate triggers political face-off

Bhubaneswar: Odisha on Thursday held a special one-day assembly session to debate women’s reservation in legislatures, in line with similar exercises in BJP-ruled states, days after the Bill failed to clear Parliament.

The session saw sharp exchanges, with the ruling BJP projecting its pro-women agenda, while BJD and Congress questioned the government’s record on women’s dignity and safety.Initiating the debate, chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi targeted Congress and BJD over their positions on the issue. He said Congress, despite having numbers in Parliament earlier, did not pass the 33% reservation Bill. “Those pointing fingers today must look at their own record,” he said.The CM also accused BJD of adopting a selective approach to reservation. He said while the regional party highlights 50% reservation for women in panchayati raj institutions as its achievement, it has opposed extending similar provisions to assemblies and Parliament. They do so because reservation in local bodies does not affect established political leadership, unlike legislative quotas, the CM said.Leader of opposition Naveen Patnaik, however, questioned the BJP government’s commitment to women’s rights, citing the recent Keonjhar incident in which a man allegedly exhumed his sister’s remains to prove her death for bank formalities.

He described the episode as a reflection of administrative apathy and insensitivity.The former CM said the incident had drawn national and international attention, raising concerns about governance and women’s dignity in the state. He held both the Centre and the state accountable, pointing to systemic lapses in service delivery.Clarifying his party’s stand, Naveen said BJD had supported the women’s reservation Bill passed in Parliament in 2023 and continues to demand its implementation.

He also highlighted that Odisha was among the first states to introduce 33% reservation for women in local bodies, which was later enhanced to 50% during the BJD government.Congress members also targeted the government over the Keonjhar case. Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam raised the issue in the House, while party MLAs staged a protest and walkout, displaying placards against the government.Responding to the opposition, deputy chief minister Pravati Parida said isolated incidents should not be used to undermine broader efforts towards women’s empowerment. She cited past incidents, including the widely reported Dana Majhi case, to argue that such tragedies have occurred under previous regimes as well.