The Odisha Legislative Assembly will convene a special one-day session on April 30 to deliberate on women's participation in democracy, according to a provisional calendar released by the assembly secretariat on Friday. The single-agenda session follows the defeat of the women's reservation Bill in Parliament on April 17, when the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill failed to secure the required two-thirds majority.
Government's Resolution and Debate
Government sources indicated that a resolution supporting women's quota and condemning opposition parties for not backing the Bill will be moved in the House. The session comes after protest rallies across the state and the country against the Bill's defeat. Women MLAs are expected to lead the discussion, after which other members will participate. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi will reply to the debate, sources added.
BJP's Stance
BJP MLA Irasis Acharya stated that the party is committed to ensuring due political representation for women and that the special session reflects that resolve. Addressing a women's rally on Wednesday, CM Majhi said the movement is not merely for women's empowerment but for their rights, dignity and representation. He asserted that the protests reflect a firm resolve for justice and will ultimately pave the way for change.
Opposition's Criticism
The opposition BJD and Congress dismissed the move as political propaganda. Deputy leader of opposition and BJD MLA Prasanna Acharya remarked that this would be the first special session convened only to create what he termed "false propaganda." He noted that the government had ignored leader of opposition Naveen Patnaik's April 15 demand for a special session to discuss Odisha's concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise, when the Bill was still under discussion in Parliament.
"With the Bill already defeated, the session now serves no purpose," he said. Echoing similar sentiments, Congress legislature party leader Rama Chandra Kadam accused the BJP of using the assembly for political posturing. "Instead of implementing women's quota after the Bill was passed in 2023, the BJP is indulging in political stunts," he said.
BJP's Counter
Countering the allegations, BJP's Acharya said, "Increasing women's participation in politics is a continuous process and the party will pursue the goal regardless of the Bill's defeat in Lok Sabha." The special session is expected to witness intense debate as both the ruling party and opposition stake their claims on the issue of women's representation.
