Bhubaneswar: The BJD on Monday came down heavily on the BJP Mahila Morcha for its ‘Lal Chudi’ (red bangles) rally in protest against the gross inaction of the Odisha government in providing security to women and minor girls in the state.
BJD leader Kasturi Mahapatra has criticized the demonstration of the BJP Mahila Morcha activists. “Bangles are a sign of weakness. By showing bangles as a mark of protest, the BJP Mahila Morcha activists are showing their weakness and meanness and their party as well. If they feel that bangles are not a sign of weakness, then why did they go to Naveen Niwas,” she asked.
Referring to the rape of several minor inmates of a sevashram in Bihar, Mahapatra said why the BJP Mahila Morcha activists did not wear bangles in front of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan who has been nominated from that state as a member of Rajya Sabha and demanded his resignation?
“The fact is, the BJP has no pertinent issues to raise against the BJD government,” she asserted.
Claiming that the Naveen Patnaik government has always given priority to the prestige, safety, security, empowerment and the inclusive development of the women, Mahapatra said the BJP and its frontal wings will never succeed in their efforts to malign the state government.
Earlier in the day, carrying red bangles, about 10,000 activists of the BJP Mahila Morcha led by BJP MP Roopa Ganguli, state unit president Pravati Parida, secretary Lekhashree Samantsinghar, former minister Surama Padhi, Ollywood actors Mahesweta Ray and Anu Choudhury, Pinki Pradhan and district Mahila Morcha presidents took out a rally towards Naveen Niwas protesting the rising incidents of crime against women and minor girls and demanding a CBI probe into the Pipili gang rape and murder case.
Talking to mediapersons, Parida said that red bangles gathered from women across the state are a mark of respect for the women. “We will gift these bangles to the Chief Minister and ask him to provide us security,” she added.
Talking about the Pipili case, Roopa Ganguly said, “If the court acquitted the accused due to lack of evidence, then who committed the heinous crime and where is all the evidence the Crime Branch had in this case? We want a CBI inquiry into the incident,” she demanded.
Referring to the recent cases of minor girls delivering babies, she said the state government has to clarify under what circumstances the minor girls of Odisha are delivering babies in government-run residential school hostels.
The rally was later divided into two groups. While one group heading towards the Naveen Niwas had a scuffle with the police at the Sishu Bhawan Square, another group marched towards the State Secretariat via the Lower PMG by breaking the barricades. As the police tried to stop them from barging into the Secretariat premises, the Morcha activists threw bangles at them. Police later arrested the activists.
