Naveen slams BJP government, says ‘cannot erase legacy of Biju Babu by changing date of events’
BHUBANESWAR: Leader of the Opposition and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday lashed out at the BJP government in the state for trying to erase the legacy of former chief minister Biju Patnaik by changing the date of the Panchayartiraj Diwas which was being celebrated in Odisha on March 5, his birth anniversary for the last 30 years.
Addressing party leaders and workers at the Sankha Bhawan, the BJD headquarters here, on the occasion, the former chief minister questioned the BJP government’s decision to shift the Panchayatiraj Diwas celebrations from March 5 to April 24. “The attempt to erase his legacy by changing names of projects and dates of events speaks of immature politics and small minds,” he added.
The former chief minister said the BJP government can change the names of awards, deface his statues and shift the dates of events, but cannot take away the love and affection the people of Odisha have for Biju Babu.
Naveen said it was very unfortunate that just after coming to power in Odisha, the BJP government tried to change the name of the Biju Krida Puraskar.
The BJP government was forced to go back on its decision after strong protests from people, the former chief minister said and added that recently there have been shameful incidents across the state of Biju Babu’s statues being broken. But no action has been taken by the government to punish the culprits, he added.
Stating that the BJP government will not succeed in such attempts, Naveen asked from how many projects it can erase his legacy. “Can the government close Paradip port, Hindustan Aeronautics Limited at Sunabeda, NTPC at Talcher, OUAT at Bhubaneswar, NIT at Rourkela and deny reservation to women in panchayat bodies which was started by Biju Babu,” he added.
The former chief minister said now the BJP government is trying to change the name of the Biju Patnaik international airport at Bhubaneswar. “But can the BJP government erase the history that Biju Babu was a freedom fighter and was in jail for India’s independence,” he added.
Several senior leaders of the BJD came down heavily on the BJP government for playing politics in the name of Biju Patnaik, who was one of the architect of modern Odisha. Earlier, Naveen garlanded the statue of Biju Patnaik at the airport square in the capital city. Biju jayanti was celebrated by BJD leaders and workers across the state.
