Puri: Elaborate preparations are on at the Talabania indoor stadium here for Biju Janata Dal (BJD)’s 20th foundation day celebrations.
BJD supremo Naveen Patnaik would visit the Srimandir to seek the blessings of the deities and then would go to the Swargadwar burning ghat to offer floral tributes to his father Biju Babu before proceeding to Talabania indoor stadium to address the congregation of party leaders and activists.
Party sources claimed that an estimated 30,000 workers and leaders from across the state would participate in the foundation day celebration and the BJD Chief will give them ‘the mantra’ to prepare for the coming general elections scheduled for 2019. The party will also organize a road show.
Exactly 20 years ago the BJD was formed under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik and observed its inception day here in this Pilgrim City. Local legislator as well as the Revenue Minister Maheswar Mohanty and Sanjay Kumar Das Burma besides other BJD leaders were engaged since last couple of days to make the programme a grand success.
Fifteen platoons of police personnel were being deployed for the function, Puri superintendent of police Sarthak Sarangi said.
Puri meet publicity stunt: Oppn
Bhubaneswar: As the BJD gears up to celebrate its 20th Foundation Day event at Puri, opposition Congress and BJP have dubbed it as a publicity stunt.
They have also criticised the state government’s cabinet meeting in Puri, alleging that the ruling dispensation is mixing up government functioning with party activities.
“Every party holds meeting on its Foundation Day. However, the approach BJD has adopted to celebrate it (this year) is just to gain more publicity as they have failed to keep their past promises. Besides, the Cabinet meeting should take place in Secretariat. Mixing government functioning with party activities is not appropriate,” Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said. “The present government in the state has failed to deliver its promises. The BJD has already sensed the setback it will face in the coming days in the state. People of the state have full confidence on BJP and they want an alternative. So, this Foundation Day of BJD will hardly have any impact,” said BJP state president Basanta Panda. 
“It shows their desperation,” said BJP legislature Party chief KV Singh Deo on BJD organising its foundation day event in Puri.
Singh Deo also took to tweets, where he wrote that a day before BJD Foundation Day the CM speaks of coordination among regional parties, which indicates that the BJD wants to keep good relations with parties like Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD.
“Is Naveen arguing for a better understanding between BJD and the main accused of fodder scam?” he asked. The BJD however, strongly reacted to it and rubbished the allegations of opposition.
“After the 2014 elections the party manifesto has been made a part of the government’s programme to fulfill all our promises. Not only we have kept our promises but also have implemented several pro-people schemes which were not in the manifesto,” said BJD chief whip Amar Satpathy.
To a question if BJD is organising its event this time in Puri as talks are doing round that PM Narendra Modi may contest 2019 general elections from Puri, Satpathy said there is no truth in this. “Puri is an auspicious place and we are organising the meeting here to seek lord Jagannath’s blessings. The celebration of our successful journey of 20 years will be aimed at building a prosperous Orissa, which was the dream of late Biju Patnaik,” Satpathy said.
Satpathy also said that there is no bar in organizing cabinet meeting outside secretariat.
PNN/Agencies
