Bhubaneswar: An unusual ‘Odia Asmita’ fight has broken out between the two Opposition parties in the state over the celebration of the state’s foundation day Sunday. The dispute is primarily over the nomenclature of the event.
While the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) announced that it would celebrate the 89th foundation day of the state—April 1—as ‘Odisha Dibasa,’ the Congress insisted on observing the day as ‘Utkal Divas.’ However, the ruling BJP remained conspicuously silent on the matter.
The BJD’s announcement came during a press conference addressed by party leaders Debi Prasad Mishra and Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak. “Odisha was formed April 1, 1936. Odisha’s rich history of trade and culture extended to the East African continent. Many small territories united, and great leaders fought to form Odisha. To commemorate this, we will celebrate ‘Odisha Dibasa.’ We have been celebrating April 1 as ‘Odisha Dibasa’ since Naveen Patnaik became our Chief Minister. Many government and private sectors also celebrate the day as ‘Odisha Dibasa.’ Following the instructions of our party president, the BJD will honor and remember the great leaders who dedicated their lives to the formation of ‘Odisha Pradesh.’ Our party will also celebrate this day at Sankha Bhawan,” said Mishra.
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The state Congress, however, maintained that the day should be celebrated as ‘Utkal Divas,’ not ‘Odisha Dibasa.’ State Congress spokesperson Prashant Satpathy said, “A separate Utkal Pradesh was formed April 1, 1936. The national anthem also mentions ‘Dravida-Utkala-Banga,’ not ‘Odisha.’ Even the title ‘Utkalmani’ was given to Gopabandhu Das. Similarly, the title ‘Utkal Gourav’ was given to Madhusudan Das. The Utkal Sammilani fought hard to unite all Odia-speaking regions of India into a single province.”
Stating that Bihar and Orissa were split into separate provinces April 1, 1936, Satpathy noted that the new province of Orissa came into existence on a linguistic basis during British rule, with Sir John Austen Hubback as the first governor. “Since then, we have been celebrating this day as ‘Utkal Divas.’ The Congress wants this day to be celebrated as ‘Utkal Divas,’ not ‘Odisha Dibasa,” he concluded.
PNN
