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The Odisha Legislative Assembly has called a one-day special session on April 30 to discuss the participation of women in Indian democracy.
This comes after the Opposition parties in the Lok Sabha voted against the Constitution Amendment Bill on April 17. The Lok Sabha took up the Constitution (One Hundred and Thirty-first Amendment) Bill, the Delimitation Bill, and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill together for passing. In the division that took place on the Constitution Amendment Bill following the debate on the three bills, 298 members voted in favour and 230 against. After the fall of the Constitutional Amendment Bill, the NDA parties slammed the Opposition parties, accusing them of hindering one-third reservation for women legislators. In Odisha, the BJP alleged a BJD-Congress alliance to stop the proposed legislation. The BJP has held Jan Akrosh Padyatras in several states, slamming the Opposition parties. On April 23, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi remarked, "This historic struggle is not merely a demand for women's empowerment; it is a battle for the rights, respect, and dignity of women across the entirety of India. The voices of these women, who have taken to the streets, serve as an inspiration, a deception, and a powerful protest against the oppressors. This is not just discontent, but rather a firm resolve for justice, which will, in the days to come, illuminate the path to change and rob the oppressors of their sleep." While former Odisha Chief Minister and BJD chief Naveen Patnaik said that the party has always stood for women's empowerment and slammed the BJP-led government for having linked the Bill to tweak women's quota with delimitation. He maintained that the BJD is firmly against any reduction in "political power" of Odisha and accused the BJP of "compromising" the state's rights. (ANI)
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