Congress to Gherao Odisha Assembly on March 27
By Nalini Sahu
Bhubaneswar, March 13: The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Wednesday announced plans to gherao the State Assembly on March 27 in protest against the alleged rise in atrocities against women and the suspension of senior leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati from the Assembly for his ‘unruly’ behavior.
The decision was taken during a meeting at the Congress Bhawan, chaired by the party’s state chief Bhakta Charan Das.
Since Bhakta Charan Das assumed the role of Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president last month, the Congress has adopted a more aggressive stance both inside and outside the Odisha Legislative Assembly. The party has made “atrocities on women” a central issue to challenge the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Monday and Tuesday, the Congress created a ruckus in the House, demanding a response from Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi.
Tara Prasad Bahinipati, a five-time MLA representing the Jeypore constituency, was seen climbing onto the Speaker’s podium and breaking the microphone. Speaker Surama Padhy suspended him on Tuesday for seven days for his disruptive behavior.
The Congress, which lost power to the BJD-BJP combine in 2000, has struggled to reclaim its political prominence in the state. Internal disunity, neglect from central leadership, and a lack of a clear agenda have hampered its ability to make a strong comeback.
In the 2004 Assembly elections, the Congress won 14 seats — just five more than its 2019 tally. Similarly, it secured only one of the 21 Lok Sabha seats in the state.
Political analysts believe that the Congress is now making a concerted effort to outshine the Naveen Patnaik-led BJD in highlighting major issues and positioning itself as the primary opposition force.
“Although the BJD, which lost power to the BJP in the 2024 elections after more than 24 years of rule, won 51 of the 147 Assembly seats, it has struggled to mount a strong challenge against the ruling party. Naveen Patnaik appears hesitant to launch an all-out confrontation with the BJP, creating an opening for the Congress to emerge as the leading opposition,” said political analyst Sriram Dash.
