Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Thursday paid tribute to the legendary former chief minister Biju Patnaik on his death anniversary.
“Humble tributes to the great public figure, freedom fighter and former Chief Minister of Odisha, Biju Patnaik, on his death anniversary. His contribution towards education and empowerment will always remain an inspiration for all. He was a proud Odia with self-esteem,” the chief minister posted on X.
https://twitter.com/CMO_Odisha/status/1912751462490546409
Biju Patnaik’s younger son, Naveen Patnaik, the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha Assembly and former five-time chief minister, offered a floral tribute to Biju Patnaik at the Biju Patnaik Park here.
Describing Biju Patnaik as the pride of Odisha, Naveen Patnaik in a post on X said: “Tributes to the pride of Odia, the great public figure Biju Babu on his death anniversary. His fearless life, indomitable courage are an inspiration to crores of Odias. The mantra he gave to live with the people and work for the people will always inspire us to serve the four and a half crore Odisha people.”
Several BJD leaders, led by the party’s coordination committee chairman Debi Prasad Mishra, joined a ‘Tila Tarpan’ (a ritual) for the late leader at ‘Bindu Sagar’ (a sacred tank) adjacent to the Shree Lingaraj temple in the city.
The Opposition regional party, Biju Janata Dal (BJD), which has been named after the legendary leader, also held a ‘Tirodhan Diwas’ (death anniversary) programme at Sankha Bhawan here.
The BJD leaders and followers of Biju Patnaik, are also holding different programmes in all the districts of Odisha remembering the life and works of the towering personality, Mishra said.
Biju Patnaik was born March 5, 1916, in Odisha’s Cuttack and passed away April 17, 1997, in New Delhi.
He became the chief minister of Odisha twice, first from 1961 to 1963 and later from 1990 to 1995.
He was also the Union minister of steel, mines and coal. He was a freedom fighter and went to jail several times during the country’s Independence struggle.
Biju Patnaik was elected to the Lok Sabha four times, once to the Rajya Sabha and seven times to the Odisha Assembly.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Odisha Assembly Speaker Surama Padhy, Deputy Chief Minister KV Singh Deo, DCM Pravati Parida, and other senior BJD leaders offered floral tributes at the statue of legendary leader Biju Patnaik on the Assembly premises.
Biju Patnaik was a prominent figure in India’s political history. His contributions to the strengthening and development of Odisha post-independence are monumental, Speaker Surama Padhy said.
“We paid tribute to him in the Vidhan Sabha today,” Padhy said.
PTI
