The Biju Janata Dal’s slogan is “Maa ku Samman” (respect to women). Is it only aimed to gain votesIJ This is so, as is loud and clear from the rising graph of offences against women.And the latest victim is none else than an MlA, Radharani Panda, at the hands of two so-called senior legislators of the ruling BJD, Ranendra Pratap Swain and Debasis Samantaray! And that too on the floor of the “temple of democracy”, the State Assembly!
The BJD MlAs called Panda, BJP legislator from Brajarajnagar, “Radhe Maa”. The country’s tainted godwoman Radhe Maa is symbol of sex and sleaze.
What was uppermost in the minds of Swain and Samantaray when they passed the remark at Panda, known as a longstanding fighter for political and social causesIJ Panda was speaking on the backwardness of the State’s western region when she was subjected to the humiliation.
The BJD seems to have gone arrogant because of its brute majority in the Assembly and coming to power for an unprecedented fourth time in this State. The Speaker has failed to protect the woman legislator even as he has ignored the Opposition’s viewpoints repeatedly, as often lamented particularly by leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra. Though a BJD man, the Speaker is supposed to act in a fair manner without his decisions being challenged by the Opposition.
Now, Panda has made a formal complaint to Speaker Niranjan Pujari against the BJD MlAs’ conduct towards her. Will the Speaker give her justiceIJ
And coming back to Radharani Panda’s plight, what has Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the leader of the House, done to assuage her seriously-injured feelings though the humiliation to her happened in the AssemblyIJ Many even term the misbehaviour to Panda as an instance of outraging the modesty of a woman.
Has Patnaik asked his two MlAs why they behaved with Panda in this questionable mannerIJ If he has, it is not known in public. And if he has pulled the MlAs, it is also not to public knowledge. Or is Patnaik oblivious to his dear MlAs’ conduct despite his party’s “Maa ku Samman” preachingIJThe Radharani Panda had been humiliated by Minister Pradeep Maharathy in a previous Assembly session, though the issue ultimately ended with Maharathy saying “sorry” to her.