Bhubaneswar: After creating a ruckus in Odisha Assembly over alleged “disrespect” to Biju Patnaik, the Opposition BJD Friday urged Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati to direct the BJP-led state government to reverse its executive order and allow observance of Panchayati Raj Divas on the former CM’s birthday March 5.
Angry over the government’s decision to delink Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary from the Panchayati Raj Divas celebration, BJD members walked to Raj Bhavan in a procession from the Assembly and submitted a memorandum asking for the Governor’s intervention.
The memorandum, signed by BJD MLAs, stated, “We demand and pray that the kind intervention of the Governor would make the government reverse its executive order and restore the faith of four-and-a-half-crore Odias in the undying legacy of Biju Babu.”
The party demanded the withdrawal of the March 3 notification issued by the general administration and pension grievance department, which shifted the Panchayati Raj Day celebration from March 5 to April 24.
The opposition party, which has been named after the legendary leader, highlighted the contribution of Biju Patnaik towards the Independence struggle, industrialisation of the state and promotion of the three-tier panchayat system in the country.
In 1990, during his second term as Odisha CM, Biju Patnaik ensured 33 per cent reservation for women in the Panchayati Raj system, which later became a guiding principle for reforms in the country.
In 1993, the Odisha Cabinet decided to observe Biju Patnaik’s birthday as Panchayati Raj Divas, marking the first such celebration in India.
The BJD noted that for the past 31 years, the state has observed Panchayati Raj Divas, even under the Congress rule from 1995 to 2000 and the BJD-BJP coalition from 2000 to 2009, to highlight the empowerment of Panchayati Raj Institutions.
“Unfortunately, the present BJP government suddenly scrapped the Cabinet decision of 1993 through an executive order and announced shifting of Panchayati Raj and Lokaseva Divas to April 24 with a political motive to demean the contribution of a towering personality like Biju Babu,” the BJD added.
This apart, the BJD alleged that the government notification also attempted to create confusion by stating the name of Biju Patnaik as Bijayananda Patnaik although he had been using the word Biju Babu for all official purposes since long.
BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera said the Governor was very polite and accepted the memorandum with a positive attitude.
Earlier in the day, BJD MLAs staged a sit-in near Biju Patnaik statue on the Assembly premises and opposed government’s action.
Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik said the BJP has all along respected Biju Patnaik while the BJD misused his name for political purpose.
PTI
