The Congress party plans to surround the Odisha State Assembly today to protest the increasing violence against women and children. After holding a sit-in protest overnight starting Tuesday, party members will demonstrate outside the assembly, where they intend to march and encircle the building.
To maintain safety during the protest, the Commissionerate Police has deployed 80 platoons of officers and taken necessary precautions to prevent any issues.
This protest follows the suspension of all 14 Congress MLAs from the assembly for a week due to ongoing disorderly conduct. After their suspension, Congress members clashed with police outside the assembly, raising political tensions in the state. The Congress party has condemned these suspensions as undemocratic and has promised to escalate their protests with today’s planned encirclement.
Goals of the OPCC Bhakta Charan Das, president of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC), spoke to the media, claiming that the government has disregarded democratic principles and used excessive police force against Congress MLAs. He blamed the Mohan Majhi-led government for the rise in crimes and violence against women in Odisha.
“The Chief Minister admitted in the assembly that 1,600 cases of violence against women have been reported during his time in office. He also mentioned that over 40,000 women and children have gone missing since he took charge. We are protesting to demand accountability for these issues,” he said.
BJP’s Response On the other hand, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the opposition of trying to disrupt assembly proceedings. Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan stated that Congress’s actions in the assembly amounted to “goondaraj,” claiming their behavior—using offensive language and causing disturbances with musical instruments—was both inappropriate and a serious offense.
Assembly Functions Without Opposition Currently, the state assembly is operating without any opposition members, and this is expected to continue today. While Congress protests outside, members of the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) actively participate inside the assembly.
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