Maharathy migraine puts Naveen in a spot

BHUBANESWAR: Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment Minister Pradip Maharathy has yet again become a prickly thorn in the side of Naveen Patnaik with his controversial statement on Pipili gang rape and murder case providing the ammunition to Opposition to target the Chief Minister.

Naveen has already started giving broad hints of his displeasure with Maharathy. A clear sign that things are not going well for the Minister showed on Monday as he was not invited to the function where the Chief Minister launched the much-vaunted KALIA scheme for welfare of farmers at the Secretariat on Monday. As Agriculture Minister, Maharathy’s presence should have been a must as the programme is being implemented by his department.

The Opposition BJP and Congress have latched on to the Maharathy statement and stepped up pressure on the Chief Minister for his removal. Both the parties have launched separate agitations demanding his dismissal and also questioned the BJD supremo’s commitment to women’s empowerment.
The demand for dismissal of a minister by the opposition political parties is nothing new and is taken as normal in an election year. But what seems to have perturbed the Chief Minister in this case is that the Opposition has linked the issue with Naveen’s pro-women image.

Naveen had recently started a campaign for reservation of 33 per cent seats for women in Parliament and state assemblies. 

Besides Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Naveen had also written to his counterparts in other states and Union territories seeking their support in this regard. Delegations from the BJD were also deputed by him to meet the heads of different national and regional political parties to seek their support.
The Additional District Judge Court, Bhubaneswar, had acquitted the prime accused in the Pipili case, Prashant Pradhan and his brother Sukant, on December 24 due to lack of evidence. Reacting to the verdict, the Minister had said truth has prevailed. “It is now for the police to find out how the victim died,” he said and added, “I don’t know whether her (the victim’s) family got justice or not. Assistance of `10 lakh was given by the Chief Minister to the family.”

Facing the heat over his statement and realising the embarrassment caused to his party, Maharathy had expressed regret on December 27. But it has not satisfied the BJP and Congress. While the BJP Mahila Morcha gheraoed Naveen Nivas on Tuesday demanding the ouster of the minister, the Mahila Congress will do so on Thursday.

Maharathy is no stranger to the Pipili gang rape case. He had been accused by the Opposition of protecting the accused in the alleged incident that took place in 2011. He had to resign from the Minister post in January 2012.

The 19-year-old victim from Arjungoda village of Pipili in Puri district had allegedly been gang-raped on November 28, 2011. She gone into a coma after being raped. She was found unconscious and in a semi-naked state in a paddy field near her village. After remaining in coma for over six months, she died at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in June 2012.