Odisha’s Law Minister and senior BJP leader, Prithiviraj Harichandan, has accused the opposition BJD and Congress of trying to defame the state for political gain.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Harichandan addressed the ongoing protests by the opposition parties regarding the state’s law and order, especially crimes against women.
“Both the BJD and the Congress have been feeling like a fish out of water for being driven out of power by the people of Odisha. Therefore, they are making all efforts to defame Odisha,” Harichandan claimed while speaking to reporters in Bhubaneswar.
“If you compare the law and order situation and crime rate of previous years, the scenario has improved a lot during the last one year. Both the opposition parties are running a false propaganda against the state, spreading lies by highlighting untrue incidents,” he asserted, as quoted by news agency PTI.
The state’s law minister claimed that there has been a substantial decline in crimes against women, too.
Harichandan also specifically targeted the Congress, saying that while Rahul Gandhi defames the country nationally, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das is doing the same in the state.
“Rahul Gandhi is defaming the country at the national level and here, OPCC president Bhakta Charan Das is doing the same. We are ready for a debate. Let the opposition come forward,” Harichandan said.
In response, senior BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera accepted the challenge. “We accept the challenge of the law minister. Let him come with his data, and we will highlight how every woman in the state feels unsafe now,” Behera said.
