An incident in which a man carried his sister’s skeleton to a bank in Keonjhar sparked a political uproar during a special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly on Thursday, prompting Congress MLAs to stage a brief walkout in protest.
As the day-long session on ‘Participation of Women in Indian Democracy’ began, members of the Congress rushed to the well of the House with placards, criticising the BJP-led state government over the shocking episode. This came even as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi attempted to set the tone for the discussion by accusing the opposition of obstructing the revised women’s reservation and delimitation bills in the Lok Sabha.
Despite loud sloganeering by Congress legislators over the Keonjhar incident, Speaker Surama Padhy allowed proceedings to continue, leading the opposition members to briefly walk out of the chamber.
Opening the debate, Majhi targeted the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over its 24-year tenure in Odisha, arguing that reserving 33 per cent seats for women in the panchayati raj system was insufficient. He said the party should have ensured similar representation for women in the Assembly and Parliament as well.
“The BJD provided 33 per cent reservation for women at the panchayat level but did not extend it to the Assembly or the Lok Sabha,” Majhi said.
Responding sharply, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik invoked the Keonjhar incident, accusing the state government of failing its citizens. Calling the tribal man’s ordeal ‘deeply painful’, Patnaik said the episode had brought shame to the state.
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“Odisha’s head hangs in shame as a woman’s skeleton had to be exhumed and carried to a bank to prove her death and claim rightful dues,” he said, criticising what he described as ‘insensitive governance’.
Taking aim at the BJP’s ‘double engine government’, Patnaik remarked that such inhumane situations had never been witnessed before in the state. He also accused the ruling party of focusing on narratives and optics rather than genuine governance, urging the chief minister to introspect.
On the women’s reservation issue, Patnaik clarified that the Constitution amendment bill for reserving seats for women in legislatures had already been passed unanimously in Parliament in 2023, with the BJD extending full support.
“We continue to demand its immediate implementation,” he said, adding that his party had fielded women candidates in 33 per cent of Lok Sabha seats in Odisha in both 2019 and 2024. Questioning the BJP’s record, he asked whether it could claim similar commitment beyond rhetoric.
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