Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) held a crucial meeting at the Congress Bhavan today under the leadership of OPCC President Bhakta Charan Das. The meeting was attended by Odisha in-charge Ajay Kumar Lalu and All India Congress Committee Secretary Rosalina Tirkey, along with several senior party leaders.
Addressing the gathering, Ajay Kumar Lalu expressed his satisfaction over the growing public support for Congress in Odisha due to its recent agitational programs. He urged the party to intensify its protests against the increasing atrocities and sexual crimes against women and minor girls under the BJP-led government in the state.
PCC President Bhakta Charan Das stated that incidents of violence against women and children have reached alarming levels. He condemned the assault on Congress MLAs in the Odisha Assembly during a protest and criticized the suspension of senior MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati for seven days. Das warned that the party would escalate its demonstrations against such injustices.
Leader of the Congress Legislative Party, Ramachandra Kadam, denounced the BJP’s use of abusive language and physical aggression against Congress MLAs, calling it an unprecedented incident in the history of the Assembly.
The meeting began with a condolence motion moved by former PCC President Jaydev Jena, mourning the demise of several political leaders, social workers, and eminent personalities, including former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh. A two-minute silence was observed in their honour.
Senior Congress leaders presented various proposals to strengthen the party in Odisha. The discussions centered on social justice, mining corruption, caste-based census, crimes against women, exploitation of Odisha’s natural resources, farmers’ issues, and the upcoming Panchayat elections. The party unanimously decided to convene the Vidhan Sabha on March 27, with women’s empowerment and protection against atrocities as the key agenda.
The meeting witnessed the presence of prominent Congress leaders, including Giridhar Gamango, Niranjan Patnaik, Prasad Harichandan, Srikant Jena, Jagannath Patnaik, Ananta Prasad Sethi, and many others
