Odisha Assembly Session Turns Stormy Over Crime, Governance, and Tribal Issues
The Odisha Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Thursday during the debate over expenditure demands of the Home and General Administration Department.
The ruling BJP and opposition BJD traded sharp accusations, while Congress raised concerns about rising atrocities against tribals and Dalits.
Opening the debate, BJD legislator Byomkesh Ray accused the Home Department of failing to maintain law and order, citing over two lakh cases registered in the past year and a surge in crimes against women.
He highlighted incidents such as the Bolangir case and the Soumyashree suicide to underline police inefficiency.
BJD members also linked BJP leaders to the SI exam scam and criticised the cancellation of 17 exams in 17 months, political interference in police stations, and three riots in the past 18 months.
Congress Legislature Party leader Rama Chandra Kadam joined the attack, alleging daily atrocities against tribals and Dalits.
He demanded a joint task force along the border areas and flagged issues of illegal mining, sand and water loot, and rising cybercrime.
Responding to the charges, BJP legislator Babu Singh accused the BJD of hypocrisy, pointing to an audio clip of a ruling party MLA threatening a police officer.
He cited arrests in the BMC officer assault case involving senior leader Jagannath Pradhan and questioned whether opposition leaders ever visited victims’ families during past tragedies.
Singh also reminded the House of sexual harassment allegations against a BJD minister and argued that the SI exam scam originated within the opposition party itself.
The debate ended with both sides trading accusations, reflecting the tense political atmosphere in Odisha’s Assembly and underscoring the deep divisions over governance and law enforcement in the state.
