Women Reservation / 'Truth Instead Of Misinformation': Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Slams BJD Supremo Naveen Patnaik
·4 hours ago·3 min read
Key Points
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan termed Naveen Patnaik's concerns over women's reservation bill as "baseless" and "misleading," alleging confusion among Odisha people.
Bhubaneswar, Apr 19: A fresh political confrontation erupted in Odisha on Sunday, days after the failure of the 131st Constitutional Amendment Bill linked to women’s reservation in Parliament, with Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan strongly rebutting Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik over his remarks.
Countering the former Odisha Chief Minister through a post on ‘X’, Pradhan termed the concerns raised by the BJD supremo as “baseless” and “misleading,” alleging that they were creating confusion among the people of Odisha.
What Did Naveen Say?
On April 15, the former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had warned that Odisha could emerge as one of the biggest losers if the Bill is passed, arguing that despite an increase in seats -- from 21 to a projected 29 -- the state’s overall share in Parliament would decline. He claimed Odisha could face up to a 15% reduction in its political influence and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special Assembly session within 48 hours to pass a resolution safeguarding the state’s interests.
Pradhan Rebuts
Defending the intent behind the amendment, Pradhan stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government remains committed to ensuring women’s representation in legislatures. He also cited assurances made earlier in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that no state’s interests would be compromised in any delimitation exercise.
Addressing concerns over Odisha’s political share, Pradhan asserted that the state’s Lok Sabha seats are projected to increase from 21 to 32 following delimitation. “At least 11 women would get the opportunity to represent Odisha as MPs,” he wrote.
Taking a direct swipe at Naveen, Pradhan stated that a leader of his stature is expected to present fact-based arguments.
“If truth is presented instead of spreading misinformation, the real interests of Odisha will be served,” Pradhan wrote.
Also Read: PM Modi Accuses Congress, Allies of 'Foeticide' Against 'Nari Shakti Vandan' Amendment
The development comes after the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The Bill proposed a 33 per cent (one-third) reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. As per the Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
Countering the former Odisha Chief Minister through a post on ‘X’, Pradhan termed the concerns raised by the BJD supremo as “baseless” and “misleading,” alleging that they were creating confusion among the people of Odisha.
What Did Naveen Say?
On April 15, the former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had warned that Odisha could emerge as one of the biggest losers if the Bill is passed, arguing that despite an increase in seats -- from 21 to a projected 29 -- the state’s overall share in Parliament would decline. He claimed Odisha could face up to a 15% reduction in its political influence and urged Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to convene a special Assembly session within 48 hours to pass a resolution safeguarding the state’s interests.
Pradhan Rebuts
Defending the intent behind the amendment, Pradhan stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the government remains committed to ensuring women’s representation in legislatures. He also cited assurances made earlier in Parliament by Union Home Minister Amit Shah that no state’s interests would be compromised in any delimitation exercise.
Addressing concerns over Odisha’s political share, Pradhan asserted that the state’s Lok Sabha seats are projected to increase from 21 to 32 following delimitation. “At least 11 women would get the opportunity to represent Odisha as MPs,” he wrote.
He further countered claims of declining representation, stating that Odisha’s share, currently around 3.87 per cent, would rise to approximately 3.91 per cent. Pradhan emphasised that such figures contradict the narrative that "Odisha will lose its political significance".ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ବିରୋଧୀ ଦଳ ନେତା @Naveen_Odisha ବାବୁ ଗଣମାଧ୍ୟମକୁ ଦେଇଥିବା ବିବୃତ୍ତି ଶୁଣି ମୋତେ ଆଶ୍ଚର୍ଯ୍ୟ ଲାଗିଲା । ଆପଣଙ୍କ ଭଳି ବ୍ୟକ୍ତି ଏଭଳି ବକ୍ତବ୍ୟ କେମିତି ଦେଇପାରିଲେ, ଯାହା ଓଡ଼ିଶାବାସୀଙ୍କ ମନରେ ଭ୍ରମ ତିଆରି କରୁଛି । ଆପଣ ଯେଉଁ କଥା କହିଛନ୍ତି, ସେହି କଥା ଭିତ୍ତିହୀନ ଓ ହାସ୍ୟାସ୍ପଦ ଭଳି ମନେହେଉଛି ।
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) April 19, 2026
ଦେଶର…
Taking a direct swipe at Naveen, Pradhan stated that a leader of his stature is expected to present fact-based arguments.
“If truth is presented instead of spreading misinformation, the real interests of Odisha will be served,” Pradhan wrote.
Also Read: PM Modi Accuses Congress, Allies of 'Foeticide' Against 'Nari Shakti Vandan' Amendment
The development comes after the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Constitution 106th Amendment Act, 2023) was defeated in the Lok Sabha on Friday after the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) failed to secure the two-thirds majority required to pass a Constitutional Amendment Bill.
The Bill proposed a 33 per cent (one-third) reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies. As per the Bill, Lok Sabha seats were to be increased to 816 from the current 543 to "operationalise" the women's reservation law before the 2029 parliamentary polls, following a delimitation exercise based on the 2011 Census.
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