Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader and Agriculture minister Pradeep Maharathy On Wednesday outrightly refused to tender an apology for his objectionable remarks on women.
The offensive remark of the Minister came days ahead of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s proposed visit to Satyabadi (Sakhigopal).
In a statement to the media, Maharathy said that during the Chief Minister’s visit, about 30,000 women will gather with one or two husbands, their children and kin, on both sides of the stretch from Pipili to Satasankha to greet him.
“How the BJD leader could know that these women have two husbands? He should be immediately sacked for his lewd, unpalatable and objectionable remarks failing which the BJP Mahila Morcha will again agitate against the Chief Minister,” president of state BJP Mahila Morcha Pravati Parida told the media.
Protesting against the remarks of Maharathy, the BJP Mahila Morcha activists got into a scuffle with the police as they tried to barge into his official residence in the afternoon.
Talking to the mediapersons later in the day, Maharathy said he was deeply hurt as the media had misinterpreted his statement.
“I always have profound respect for the mothers of my constituency and I am always keen to redress their grievances. Due to their blessings, I have won from my constituency six times,” he added.
Asked whether he would tender an apology for his offensive statement, he bluntly refused. “There is no question of apology as I had no such intention and the media quoted me out of context,” he maintained.
It may be recalled that Maharathy had earlier got into trouble for making obscene remarks against BJP MLA Radharani Panda on the first day of the winter session of the State Assembly on November 20, 2014. However, he later met her and tendered an apology.
The BJD leader found himself embroiled in a controversy on April 23 last year for his audacious statement that the suicide of the farmers begins during the session of the State Assembly.
He was also thrown out of the ministry for his unwarranted statement on the much-talked-about Bebina gang rape case.
It now remains to be seen how the Chief Minister would react to this issue.
