TNI Bureau: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Saturday sharply criticised the 20 Members of Parliament from Odisha belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for voting in favour of the proposed delimitation-linked legislation, alleging that the move undermined the state’s political and economic interests.

Addressing a press conference at Shankha Bhawan, senior BJD leaders, including party vice-president Pramila Mallik and senior general secretary Bhrugu Baxipatra, accused the BJP of attempting to “push through a delimitation agenda under the guise of women’s reservation.”

The party leaders argued that while the Women’s Reservation Bill had already been passed in 2023, linking its implementation to delimitation was a “deliberate political strategy” that could delay benefits to women while adversely impacting states like Odisha.

Mallik highlighted that the BJD had consistently supported women’s empowerment, noting that the party had backed the reservation legislation in Parliament and had earlier championed a 33% quota through a unanimous resolution in the Odisha Assembly in 2018. She also pointed to the leadership of Naveen Patnaik in promoting women’s political participation by allocating 33% of party tickets to women candidates in recent elections.

Calling BJP’s criticism of BJD’s commitment to women’s empowerment “laughable,” Mallik urged BJP leaders to revisit the party’s track record on the issue.

Baxipatra, meanwhile, raised concerns over the potential fallout of the delimitation exercise, claiming that Odisha’s share in Parliament could decline from 3.9% to 3.4%, thereby weakening the state’s voice at the national level. He further warned that such a reduction could have implications for the state’s access to central financial allocations.

The BJD also revealed that Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik had written to all MPs from the state, urging them to safeguard Odisha’s interests. He had additionally proposed convening a special session of the Assembly to deliberate on the issue.

The party concluded that the BJP’s support for the bill exposed a contradiction between its political rhetoric and actions, accusing it of compromising Odisha’s interests while claiming to uphold regional identity.