Bhubaneswar: Congress leaders and workers staged a nine-hour long fast in Bhubaneswar on Friday during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit accusing Odisha’s BJP government of having failed in all spheres in last one yea.
Led by Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) President Bhakra Charan Das, the protesters focussed particularly on abnormal rise in crime against women in the state.
Within just one year of the BJP government, incidents of violence against women, rape, and gangrape have assumed alarming proportions, they claimed. The Congress leaders also alleged collapse of healthcare system in the state in recent past.
Senior leaders and workers of the party, including those from women, youth and student wings, took part in the hunger strike from 9 am to 6 pm.
Coming down heavily on the state government, the PCC President Bhakta Charan Das said, while an average of 7 cases of rape were reported daily during the previous government, this number has surged dangerously to 15 per day in last one year.
Das said the horrific gangrape in Gopalpur has shocked the entire nation, while in the Chief Minister’s own district of Keonjhar, the rape and murder of a girl has caused deep resentment and distrust among the public towards the government.
Similarly, a woman was abducted from her home in Baripada at night and raped, highlighting the complete collapse of law and order in the state, he alleged, adding that alleged rape of a yoga teacher in Kendrapada has left everyone ashamed.
The state government, particularly the Home Department which is with the Chief Minister, utterly failed to check the soaring crime against the women, the PCC chief alleged.
“These frequent incidents of crime against the women in the state exposes the administrative incompetence and callousness of the Chief Minister and the BJP government. The safety of women has become a question mark in the state,” he alleged.
The Congress leaders also lashed out at the Mohan Majhi government over the outbreak of diarrhoea and cholera in several parts of the state.
Instead of focussing on addressing these burning issues, the BJP government remained busy in celebrating its one year in office with the Prime Minister as chief guest.
“If the Prime Minister has the courage, he should visit the Gopalpur gangrape site along with the Chief Minister and assure the people of Odisha that such incidents will not occur furthermore,” said Das.
