Stepped Down On My Own To Protect Party’s Image: Maharathy

Bhubaneswar: After stepping down as Agriculture Minister, Senior BJD leader Paradeep Maharathy on Sunday told the media that he resigned on his own accord to protect the interests of the party and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

The Opposition have been continuously demanding for his ouster from the ministry following his controversial statement on the acquittal of two accused in the Pipili gang rape and murder case. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had slammed the state government for failing to provide justice to the 19-year-old girl during his Baripada rally on Saturday.

Maharathy said that he was a disciplined soldier of the party and its image was of paramount importance for him. “I have immense respect for the BJD president and the party,” he added.

This is for the second time that Maharathy lost the ministership over the same case. The then first-time minister, who was sworn in May 2011, had to step down on January 19, 2012, “to ensure that the image of his leader and party remained unsullied” ahead of the Panchayat polls, having been in the line of fire for providing shelter to the accused.

On December 25 last year, Maharathy again invited trouble for him by asserting that truth had finally prevailed and the victim girl got justice, after the acquittal of the two accused by the Additional District Judge (ADJ) court.

With the BJD wooing the women voters with Mission Shakti convention and women quota ahead of the ensuing Assembly and Lok Sabha elections, the case and his statements were proving to be detrimental both for the party image and that of the Chief Minister.