Pipili legislator courts controversy yet again

Bhubaneswar: Controversy seems to be synonymous with BJD’s Pipili MLA candidate and former minister Pradeep Maharathy, who was arrested on Monday for allegedly assaulting a team of election officials on Sunday night.
He was forced to resign from chief minister Naveen Patnaik’s ministry only four months ago following his controversial remark, favouring two brothers, who were acquitted by the court in connection with the 2011-12 rape-murder of a 19-year-old girl in Pipili.

The six-time MLA from Pipili had stirred the hornet’s nest by hailing the acquittal of the rape accused on December 24, 2018. He drew criticism by saying that the girl got justice, much the chagrin of the opposition Congress and BJP. Amid massive protests, Maharathy resigned as agriculture and farmer’s empowerment minister on January 6 this year.

In January 2012, Maharathy had to quit as agriculture minister following statewide outrage over his alleged links with the same rape accused. The 19-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped on November 28, 2011, had died on June 21, 2012 after remaining semi-comatose at SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack.

Maharathy landed in the soup again in November 2014 for allegedly making distasteful and sexist remarks about BJP MLA Radharani Panda in the state assembly. Panda alleged that Maharathy used sexist remarks against her when she was raising slogans against the state government in the well of the house. Maharathy had then rubbished her charges. “I never misbehaved with her nor uttered distasteful words,” he said.

Maharathy shot to infamy yet again in November 2017 when a video of him allegedly using filthy language against Prime Minster Narendra Modi at a public meeting in Kendrapada went viral on social media. In the video, Maharathy was allegedly hurling abuse at Modi over the Centre’s concept of bullet train.

In September 2018, another video went viral on social media quoting Maharathy as saying that 30,000 women self-help group members have 60,000 husbands. As his remark drew widespread criticism, Maharathy claimed people have misinterpreted his statement. “I had in fact said there would be 60,000 people in the chief minister’s meeting to be held at Satyabadi. I intended to say that the 60,000 people would include 30,000 women and another 30,000 (their) husbands,” Maharathy was quoted in the media.