Bhubaneswar: With veteran leader Suresh Routray making certain remarks while defending son Manmath over a verbal duel with her, Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader Shreemayee Mishra on Thursday reacted sharply and said that Odisha culture always pleads for respect to women.
Speaking to reporters, Suresh Routray had raised questions about remarks made by Shreemayee during a faceoff with Manmath Routray at a BJD meeting in Sankha Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. He also reportedly made certain remarks about her origin and background.
Asserting that they belong to a family of freedom fighters, Routray said his son Manmath believes in working under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik and is not bothered about anyone else.
Targeting the former MLA over his remarks, Shreemayee in a post on social media said that with the commencement of Navratra, people are eagerly waiting for the arrival of Goddess Durga. As per our culture, there is a tradition of respecting all women – daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, and sister, she said.
Describing Suresh Routray as like her grandfather, Shreemayee said she was hurt over her remarks about her. Stressing that she never disrespected him, the BJD leader said his words hurt her. “My grandfather never treated me like this,” she said.
Notably, Shreemayee, BJD’s observer for Bhubaneswar Parliamentary constituency, was allegedly disrespected at the review meeting of the party’s Khurda district unit recently. While discussion was underway on organisational position, Manmath reportedly made some adverse remarks about her and claimed that he lost the Lok Sabha polls because of her.
Shreemayee later said that whatever happened was purely an internal matter of the party. However, she further stated that whoever has shown disrespect to women always faced the consequences. History shows that those who insulted women had to pay for it later, she said. The person who endures is great and not the one who makes distasteful remarks, she said.
It may be noted that BJD initially projected Shreemayee Mishra as its candidate for Bhubaneswar Lok Sabha seat. However, finally the regional party nominated veteran leader Suresh Routray’s son Manmath Routray for the prestigious seat. Thereafter, Shreemayee had disappeared from the poll scene. She was never seen during election campaign. However, after the defeat of BJD in the elections, she again became active on social media as well as organisational activities.
