Media Release
Bhubaneswar, Jul 4: A fresh political storm has erupted in Odisha after BJP MLA Santosh Khatua made sexist and derogatory remarks targeting BJD leader Lekhasri Samantsinghar, prompting a fierce backlash from the opposition BJD, led by former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
"The derogatory remarks against a respected woman leader are extremely unfortunate. Character assassination of a woman is a reflection of a perverse mentality," Patnaik said in a scathing post on X. He slammed the BJP’s top brass for their silence, stating, “Not a single leader has come forward to condemn such reprehensible remarks. The silence clearly reveals the ruling party’s stance.”
Samantsinghar, who left the BJP for the BJD just ahead of this year’s general elections, also hit out on X, tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Dear Modiji, please listen to your MLA from Odisha talking about women politicians… After listening to it, let’s see if you still want to speak of ‘naari ka samman’ or Operation Sindoor,” she said.
The reference to Operation Sindoor—India’s military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed several soldiers—was a sharp rebuke. “Your promise for women will sound hollow if you fail to take action against such misogynistic elected representatives,” she added.
The BJP MLA has yet to respond to the storm of criticism.
Adding fuel to the fire, a separate controversy involving BJP leader Jagannath Prasad has deepened the rift between the BJD and the ruling BJP. Prasad surrendered on Friday morning after being linked to the brutal mob assault of senior government officer Ratnakar Sahoo. Shocking videos showed Sahoo being dragged, kicked, and hurled down stairs by a mob at a government office.
Naveen Patnaik demanded “exemplary action” not only against the attackers but also against “the political leaders who orchestrated and conspired this shameful act.”
Prasad, now under arrest, maintained his innocence, saying, “Despite no evidence of my involvement, the Odisha Administrative Service has been demanding my arrest.”
With emotions running high and the BJP-BJD rivalry intensifying post-elections, both incidents have triggered outrage and reignited debates over women's safety, political accountability, and rising violence in the state’s public sphere.