Wed Mar 26 23:46:30 UTC 2025: **Odisha Congress MLAs Suspended, Protest Over Women’s Safety Continues**
Bhubaneswar, Odisha – The Odisha Assembly witnessed chaotic scenes on Wednesday as Congress MLAs continued their protest against rising crimes against women, leading to further suspensions and clashes with security personnel. The protests, which began Tuesday, resulted in the initial suspension of 12 Congress MLAs. Despite this, they remained in the Assembly and later protested overnight on Mahatma Gandhi Marg.
On Wednesday, further attempts by Congress MLAs and workers to breach the Assembly resulted in scuffles with security. Two more Congress MLAs, Tara Prasad Bahinipati and Ramesh Jena, were subsequently suspended. The Biju Janata Dal also continued its walkout, demanding a 27% reservation for Other Backward Class candidates.
State Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan accused the Congress of deliberately disrupting the Budget session and attempting to damage Assembly property, challenging them to provide evidence of alleged mistreatment of their MLAs. He described the Congress’ actions as a conspiracy to hinder Odisha’s development. Chief Minister Mohan Majhi, responding to the Congress’ demand for a House Committee to investigate crimes against women, stated that the BJP government was prioritizing women’s safety and that the Congress lacked credibility on the issue. The Congress, however, maintains that its MLAs were mistreated during a peaceful protest.
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