BJD accuses BJP of defaming women SHG members in Dhamnagar bypoll campaign

In their representation, the BJD accused BJP leaders of wilfully and maliciously tarnishing and defaming the image of Mission Shakti Women Self Help Group members.

Published on: Oct 27, 2022, 23:57:42 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

Prefer HTon Google

Share via

Copy link

Bhubaneswar: A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) moved the Election Commission alleging that party workers of Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) were trying to lure voters in next week’s Dhamnagar assembly bypoll, the BJD also approached EC with a counter-complaint against BJP leaders who they accused of indulging in electoral malpractices during the campaigning.

A BJD delegation complained to Election Commission in New Delhi against Odisha BJP leaders and workers accusing them of indulging in electoral illegalities and malpractices in Dhamnagar assembly bypolls. (Twitter/ANI)

A delegation of the BJD comprising MPs Chandra Sekhar Sahoo, Niranjan Bishi, Muzibullah Khan, and Sasmit Patra on Thursday submitted a memorandum to the Election Commission office in New Delhi in which they accused BJP leaders of wilfully and maliciously tarnishing and defaming the image of Mission Shakti Women Self Help Group members.

“Fake and fictitious videos are being manufactured by Odisha BJP leaders and being circulated in social media stating that Mission Shakti (Women Self Help Group) members. The Odisha BJP is not only defaming them and tarnishing their image but also doing a great disservice to the women of Odisha and the nation. Especially when they are growing socio-economically and being champions of women’s empowerment. By indulging in fake and false allegations against the local administration, they are trying to create a fear psychosis in the local administration with the intent to mentally harass them from executing their jobs in a free and fair manner,” BJD alleged in its memorandum.

The BJD memorandum came a day after Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan and party spokesperson Sambit Patra complained to EC against what they described as unfair means adopted by the ruling party to entice voters and the inaction of the state’s chief electoral officer in the face of blatant poll code violations.

“The CEO is also the secretary of the panchayati raj department. He is sitting silent over field staff of Panchayati Raj, Rural Development and Women and Child Welfare departments openly working for the ruling party in Dhamnagar. Money is being distributed through women’s self-help groups. A free and fair election is the least expected from the CEO who instead of protecting the law has turned a violator by conveniently looking the other way when the BJD workers are blatantly violating all electoral norms,” Pradhan alleged on Wednesday.

On Thursday, the BJP also alleged that the Bhadrak district administration was harassing party workers in Dhamnagar by misusing the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code. “Using sections 107 and 110 of the Code Of Criminal Procedure, 1973 under which magistrates can ask a person to furnish security over a possible breach of peace, more than 900 BJP workers are being asked to give an undertaking in the courts of local judicial magistrate. BJP workers are being threatened with false cases,” alleged Lekhashree Samantsinghar, Odisha general secretary of BJP.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

Get the latest India News, breaking headlines and real-time updates from across the country. Stay informed about politics, government policies, crime, weather and major national developments.