Bhubaneswar, March 8 BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik on Sunday criticized the BJP government in Odisha for the "total failure of leadership" in addressing the "increasing" number of crimes against women.
Addressing the party's women leaders and members on the occasion of International Women's Day, Patnaik said that the BJD, which follows the ideology of former chief minister Biju Patnaik, had taken significant steps to empower women when it was in power in the state.
"However, under the BJP government, atrocities against women are on the rise, and no one is there to listen to them... (It's) a complete failure of leadership at the government level," he said.
Stating that the BJD recognizes the power of women in social development, the leader of the opposition in the state assembly said his party will continue to fight for the security, dignity, and "true empowerment" of women.
He said that Biju Patnaik was a "pioneer of women's empowerment in India."
Reacting to Patnaik's statement, Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida asserted that the Mohan Charan Majhi government is committed to ensuring the safety and security of women.
Hitting out at the BJD chief, she said, "Because he failed to provide security to the women during his 24-year rule, they changed the government. If we start counting the cases of crimes against women reported during the BJD government's tenure, it will be a very long list."
"Let the LoP cite an incident of a crime against a woman, during our tenure, in which the accused was not arrested within 48 hours," he added.
