In a heated exchange during an adjournment motion debate in the Odisha Assembly on Friday, Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan launched a sharp counterattack against the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over allegations of police interference.
With Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi absent, Harichandan responded to the BJD’s criticisms of the current government’s handling of law and order, accusing the previous regime of exerting undue pressure on police forces.
The debate escalated when BJD members, after lambasting the BJP-led government, staged a walkout just as the minister began his reply. Harichandan mocked the opposition’s exit, suggesting they were avoiding uncomfortable truths about their own tenure. Responding to BJD MLA Gautam Buddha Das’s claim that BJP workers were pressuring police, the minister turned the tables by questioning the BJD’s past practices.
Without directly naming him, Harichandan alluded to former BJD leader and bureaucrat V.K. Pandian, referring to him as “a babu” who enjoyed an unprecedented 72 security personnel during the BJD’s rule. “Who was pressuring the police back then?” Harichandan asked rhetorically. He highlighted how, whenever Pandian toured districts, police stations were reportedly emptied, with officers reassigned to his security detail and even tasked with menial duties like watering roads.
“Why were 72 police personnel deployed solely for one bureaucrat’s protection under your government?” the minister pressed, contrasting it with the current administration’s approach. He noted that the present Chief Minister does not require such extensive security, emphasising the government’s commitment to efficient resource allocation.
Harichandan further assured the House that the BJP government takes women’s safety seriously and has not taken it lightly. He accused the opposition of fleeing the debate because a detailed response would expose their “past history” of mismanagement and favouritism.
