Amid a nationwide outrage over rape incidents, the ruling BJD and opposition BJP were engaged here on Friday in verbal spat over the rising crime against women, particularly minor girls.
Both the parties held separate press conferences to vent their anger against each other.
While state BJP vice-president Samir Mohanty alleged the state government has completely failed in providing security to women, BJD spokesman and Rajya Sabha MP Sasmit Patra asked the saffron party to refrain from politicising the issue.
"We come across such (rape) heinous crimes taking place across the country. Therefore, the BJP should refrain from doing politics over the situation and instead work in tandem to eradicate the menace, Patra said, adding all are worried over the incidents.
Asserting that the state government has been taking requisite actions against the accused persons, the BJD spokesman said,"The mental condition of the victim families will suffer further if politics is done over their tragedies.
"The BJP, however, is indulging in petty politics over the rapes despite repeated appeals. Apart from giving political colour to the heinous crimes, the BJP leaders are also highlighting unrealistic data on such crimes, Patra claimed.
He also said the Odiya people would teach the BJP a lesson for its "low grade" and "unethical" politics.
The BJP on the other hand intensified its campaign against the state government and accused it of completely failing in providing safety to the women.
"Women are not only unsafe in Odisha, but also insecure also as policemen are involved in such crimes, Samir Mohanty said, alleging the state government refrained from taking action against Jajpur district SP, who indulged in character assassination of a deceased woman panchayat extension officer.
"The Chief Minister is washing his hands off from the issues related to rising sexual assault on women by appealing the opposition not to do politics over it, Mohanty said, adding the government's inaction has forced the BJP to raise the issue.
The BJP state vice-president further pointed out that a minor girl was gangraped at the police quarters in Puri.
"Is it politics if we raise this issue also, Mohanty asked.
He claimed the rate of conviction in Odisha remained much less thus encouraging crimes in the state.
The chief minister or his party cannot escape from the responsibility by simply avoiding the prevailing situation in the state, Mohanty said.
The BJP's allegation came a day after the opposition Congress asked the BJD government to publish a white paper on the crime against women in the state and convene a special session of the assembly to discuss the issue.
Recently, while replying a question in the Assembly, Odisha's Minister of State for Home, D S Mishra informed that the state has registered 1,865 rape cases including sexual assault on 956 minor girls, 7,706 molestation incidents and 337 dowry death cases during the first nine months of 2019.
Of the rape cases, the victims were killed in six incidents, Mishra said.
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