The transfer of bureaucrat Sujata Karthikeyan, wife of influential Biju Janata Dal leader V.K. Pandian, following the Election Commission of India’s directive, has stirred up a hornet’s nest with both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the BJD leadership indulging in an ugly spat.
But, behind the scenes it appears to be a subtle manoeuvring between the two parties to sway a significant voting bloc of 70 lakh women who constitute 20% of Odisha’s total electorate.
These 70 lakh women are members of six lakh self-help groups (SHGs) formed over the years in the State. If these women vote en bloc, it could seal the fate of any candidate and political party in the ongoing election.
The ECI on Thursday ordered an immediate transfer of Ms. Karthikeyan from the Mission Shakti Department after the BJP complained against her. It was initially speculated that the saffron party was targeting Mr. Pandian, chief election strategist for the BJD, even through the complaint was formally made against his wife.
However, political analysts noted that by including prominent names such as Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Union Minister of State for Skill Development Rajeev Chandrasekhar, MP Sudhanshu Trivedi, and BJP general secretary Om Pathak in the complaint, the BJP’s target appeared to extend beyond Mr. Pandian.
In its complaint, the BJP had alleged that the Mission Shakti Department, headed by Ms. Karthikeyan, was compelling and coercing these SHGs, with the threat of stopping the State’s financial benefits to the same. The saffron party said it was an attempt to influence women voters to vote for the BJD. Mission Shakti was accused of misusing Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP), an ECI platform, to reach out wider population.
The BJD has systematically nurtured women SHGs by making them partners in all government contracts, providing salary benefits and facilitating easy bank loans.
Very early in his career, the Odisha CM had identified women as a key driver of growth. His government started promoting Women’s Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) under the aegis of the Mission Shakti programme in 2001. After SHGs were linked with banks for low interest loans, they were systematically appointed vendors for mid-day meal programmes in schools and Anganwadi centres.
Gradually, the women SHGs were handed over all government contracts from running buses to managing village ponds and from looking after COVID-19 temporary centres in 2020 to collecting taxes. The State government made its vision clear by announcing to transform women SHGs into small and medium enterprises.
While the State government is on its way to facilitate ₹50,000 crore loans to women SHGs, it could pay ₹1,200 crore towards the interest subvention. In the Make-in-Odisha conclave, which is basically a platform to attract investment, five different memoranda of understanding were signed with different institutions and corporate houses for skilling women and helping them in marketing their produce. One of them was with Flipkart which will provide SHGs access to e-commerce platforms for sale of their products.
Just ahead of elections, the Naveen Patnaik Government had announced a number of sops including ₹1,000 each to 70 lakh women SHGs members for uniform and ₹2,000 each to 1.5 lakh SHG executive committee and management committee members for blazers. The government spent ₹730 crore on the uniform and blazers. Interest-free loan up to ₹1 lakh to buy scooter was offered to two lakh women. The government is spending ₹528 crore for this. Women SHG leaders were also flown to Dubai for free before election.
“When Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan decided to contest the election, Mission Shakti women were stopped from going to Dubai. And when he filed nomination, Secretary to Mission Shakti and daughter of Kendrapara, Sujata Rout was removed from her post,” said Pranab Prakash Das, BJD organising secretary.
Mr. Das said, “It is amply clear that if Mr. Pradhan wins the election, he will stop the Mission Shakti programme altogether. Lakhs of Mission Shakti members would respond to the dishonour.”
Leader of Opposition Jaynarayan Mishra issued a sharp rebuttal saying, “Mission Shakti is not property of the BJD. The Modi government is committed to make women SHGs self-reliant and strong. Mr. Das’s statement reveals an immaturity. Action was taken against the Mission Shakti secretary because she worked as a BJD worker in the election.”
