BHUBANESWAR: Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Sunday waded into the ballooning controversy over alleged atrocities on sarpanch Chameli Ojha, demanding immediate intervention of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi in the matter.
In a social media post, Naveen said Odisha is witnessing oppression against a woman sarpanch under the BJP government. Stating that atrocities inflicted on Ojha inside a government office can never be accepted in a democratic nation, Naveen accused the BJP government of making vile attempts at every level to suppress the voice of a woman representative.
Questioning BJP’s ‘Nari Shakti Vandan’ slogan, the former chief minister asked, “Is this how BJP actually respects women? If a woman sarpanch faces such a situation for raising the demands of her panchayat, then the condition of countless women in the state can be clearly imagined,” he added.
Earlier, a BJD delegation, including former minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak, Ganeshwar Behera and Ipsita Sahu met Kendrapada collector and SP and demanded strong action against the culprits. Nayak alleged that public humiliation of a woman leader has exposed the ruling BJP’s double standards on its claims of women empowerment.
The BJP hit back with party spokesperson Manoj Mohapatra saying the Naveen should desist from raising the issue of atrocity on women since the BJD’s tenure had witnessed several of such cases. The former chief minister used to say law will take its course but always interfered with it, he added.