TNI Bureau: BJD president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Odisha government during the Special Session of the Assembly, condemning the shocking incident in Keonjhar where a tribal man was forced to exhume his deceased sister’s skeleton to prove her death before a bank could release her savings.
Addressing the House, Patnaik said Odisha’s “head hangs in shame” over the inhuman treatment meted out to the family of the deceased woman in Keonjhar. Referring to the case, he said despite repeated visits by the woman’s brother Jitu Munda to complete the bank formalities after her death, officials allegedly continued to harass him by demanding proof of death.
“What is more appalling is that after presenting her skeleton to the bank as proof, he had to again carry her back home on foot,” Patnaik said, calling it a symbol of complete administrative apathy and zero accountability.
He said the incident reflected the grim reality of women’s dignity in the state and pointed out that international media outlets such as the New York Post and the BBC had reported the matter, bringing embarrassment to Odisha on the global stage.
Patnaik also criticized what he called the failure of the “double engine government,” referring to both the Centre and the State, stating that banking is a central subject while the state government also failed to respond sensitively.
He further claimed that for the first time, the United States had issued an advisory to its citizens regarding Odisha due to concerns over atrocities against women, and said the BJP government had no moral right to speak about women’s empowerment.
“The Chief Minister should do some soul searching before making statements on women’s dignity. This brutal incident happening in his own district reflects the shocking state of governance in Odisha,” he said.
On the issue of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill, Patnaik clarified that the women’s reservation bill had already been passed unanimously in Parliament in 2023 and that the BJD had fully supported it.
He reminded the House that Odisha, under Biju Patnaik, was among the first states to implement 33 percent reservation for women in local bodies, which was later increased to 50 percent during his tenure in 2011.
He also highlighted that the BJD had given 33 percent tickets to women candidates in the 2019 and 2024 Lok Sabha elections and challenged the BJP to show whether it had done the same.
Patnaik accused the BJP of merely paying lip service to women’s rights and attempting to mislead the public through narratives and optics rather than real action. On delimitation, he strongly opposed linking the women’s reservation bill to the delimitation exercise, calling it a “clandestine act” aimed at pushing delimitation without proper discussion.
He warned that the proposed delimitation could reduce Odisha’s political rights and weaken the state’s distinct identity and voice in national politics, particularly affecting future generations.
“I am repeating again that history will not forgive us if we support this delimitation,” he said.
Reassuring the people of Odisha, Patnaik declared, “As long as I am here, no one can deprive Odisha of its rightful share.”
He also asked BJP MLAs in Odisha to stop what he termed “crocodile tears” over women’s issues and focus instead on ensuring justice and dignity for women in the state.
