A special session of the Odisha Legislative Assembly is scheduled for April 30 to address women’s representation in India’s democracy. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition parties, including the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Indian National Congress, will engage in discussions on ‘Participation of Women in Indian Democracy’ during this one-day session. The session comes amidst a political controversy following the failure of the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had previously announced plans to protest against the Opposition’s stance on women’s issues after the failure of the Constitution Amendment Bill on women’s reservation. In a show of solidarity, the party organized a large-scale “Jan Aakrosh Mahila Pad Yatra” in Bhubaneswar, where over 50,000 women from various backgrounds participated in rallies and demonstrations. The party expressed gratitude to all the women who actively participated in the event to advocate for their rights.
In a statement, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi emphasized the significance of women’s empowerment, highlighting the failure of the proposed amendment to the Women’s Reservation Bill in the Lok Sabha. The Chief Minister criticized the opposition parties for viewing women solely as a voting bloc, contrasting this with the Modi government’s commitment to genuine empowerment. The ruling party also announced upcoming Mahila Aakrosh Sammelans in all organizational districts across the state on April 24 and 25.
