Protesters from Congress to Surround Odisha Assembly on March 27 in Demand for Women's Safety and Lifting of Leader's Suspension
In the political landscape of Bhubaneswar, Odisha, the Congress party has taken a bold stand against the rising atrocities against women and the suspension of senior leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati. The party has launched the 'Nari Naya Yatra', a statewide campaign aimed at addressing delayed justice and rising crimes against women, including high-profile cases like the girl set on fire in Puri and the student's suicide following sexual harassment complaints in Balasore.
Congress state president Bhakta Charan Das has announced multiple demonstrations, urging women, students, and youth to participate. Protests have included marches to the DGP office in Cuttack and demonstrations in affected communities like Balanga and Balasore. The protests have also called for political action against the BJP state government, with the Congress urging the BJD to move a no-confidence motion over the government's failure to protect women.
The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Odisha's ruling party, has responded with its own actions, such as a six-hour hartal in Puri district to demand justice in related cases. However, the BJD's relative silence in opposition may allow the Congress to gain political ground.
The suspension of Tara Prasad Bahinipati, a five-time MLA from Jeypore, for seven days for disorderly conduct, is linked contextually to the Congress's internal political dynamics amid its broader protests against women’s security failures in the state. The party's leadership, including Rahul Gandhi and AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, has vocally supported pushing back against the state government's handling of these crises.
The Congress is hoping to emerge as the main opposition force due to the BJD's muted stance. The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) has announced plans to gherao the State Assembly on March 27. Political analyst Sriram Dash suggests that the Congress is betting on sustained pressure on issues like women's safety to reclaim lost political ground in Odisha.
The Congress secured 14 seats in the 2004 Assembly elections, five more than its tally in 2019. The party lost power to the BJP in the 2024 elections after more than two decades in office. The Congress party, which lost power to the BJD-BJP alliance in 2000, has struggled to regain political relevance in the state due to internal divisions, neglect from the central leadership, and the absence of a clear political agenda.
The political situation in Bhubaneswar is marked by intense political mobilization, organised protests, and demands for accountability. While the suspension of Tara Prasad Bahinipati remains a point within the party's internal challenges during this period of agitation, the Congress is leveraging the issue of women's safety to corner the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Supreme Court has ruled that electoral rolls cannot be static, adding a new dimension to the political dynamics in Odisha.
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