Odisha's Double Engine Government Under Fire for Women's Safety and Representation Concerns

Bharatiya Janata Party-led (BJP) double-engine government in Odisha is under scrutiny as BJD MP Sulata Deo emphasizes issues pertaining to women's safety. In her statement, Deo criticized the government's handling of crimes against women, citing incidents involving vulnerable groups such as minors and tribal girls.

Deo further accused the government of diminishing Odisha's seat share through the delimitation and census process. She claimed that such measures have reduced the state's proportion from 3.9% to 3.4%, questioning the rationale behind this change. Concerns about women's representation were also voiced by Deo, who highlighted that despite endorsing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the BJP has yet to implement the 33% reservation for women in legislative seats.

Highlighting the political discourse, Deo mentioned the failure of the Constitution 131st Amendment Bill on women's reservation during a Special Session in April. She noted that opposition parties, grouped as the INDIA bloc, voted against this bill, which aimed at ensuring increased women's representation, leading to its failure in the Lok Sabha.

(With inputs from agencies.)