Bhubaneswar: A day after National Students’ Union of India’s state president Udit Narayan Pradhan was arrested on charges of raping a 19-year-old student in the city, posters have surfaced throughout Bhubaneswar displaying images of the suspended Congress member alongside Lok Sabha MP Rahul Gandhi. The giant posters have come up at prominent places including Janpath, sparking heated exchanges between the Congress and BJP.State Congress president Bhakta Charan Das accused the BJP of having orchestrated this poster campaign to defame the party. “We are certain about BJP’s involvement in this negative poster campaign against the Congress. This indicates BJP’s apprehension towards Congress, which has strengthened its protests regarding the reported rise in crimes against women,” Das said.“BJP cannot stifle our voice. Women safety is our biggest focus. Our protest will be intensified in the coming days,” he added even as another Congress member criticised the BMC for not pulling down such unauthorised posters.The Congress formed a six-member committee on Monday to investigate the allegations against Pradhan. The party indicated it would support strict action if the charges were proven true.Responding strongly to the allegations, BJP MLA Babu Singh said, “Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones at others. The arrest of Udit Pradhan has exposed the double standard of Congress on issues of women’s safety.” Avilash Panda, state president of BJP’s youth wing, criticised Congress for appointing Pradhan as NSUI Odisha president. “Days before his appointment (Aug 2024), he was arrested in a criminal case in Bhubaneswar. Still, the Congress made him the NSUI state president,” Panda said.Amid the BJP-Congress confrontation over Pradhan’s arrest, BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik expressed concern over an alleged increase in crimes against women. “A disturbing wave of crimes against women is gripping Odisha. This surge in sexual assaults reflects a troubling erosion of law enforcement. When various ranks of the police face interference and political pressure, accountability weakens — and women and girls pay the price first,” Naveen wrote in a social media post.
