Bhubaneswar: Exclusion of BJP leader and Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi from the guest list of Odisha capital’s 75th Foundation Day function for the second consecutive year has triggered a controversy.
The Odisha government is organising a series of programmes to mark the 75th Foundation Day of Bhubaneswar on Thursday. After her name was found missing from the list of guests to attend the celebration for the second year in a row, Aparajita termed the omission as a “repeat performance of last year”.
“On 75th capital Foundation Day tomorrow, State Govt, Odisha & @bmcbbsr NOT to invite the elected Member of Parliament of Bhubaneswar! It is a REPEAT PERFORMANCE of last year. Humiliation of the people of Bhubaneswar once again! Is it INTENTIONAL?”, she said in a tweet on Wednesday.
Aparajita recalled that she had written a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik last time on the same issue after she was not invited by the state government to attend the function.
Noting that MP holds a constitutional position, the parliamentarian said the Capital Foundation Day is not a political event and the state government needs to introspect.
While Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) Mayor Sulochana Das reportedly said that all were invited to the progarmme, the organising committee functionaries also responded to the issue.
Rajadhani Pratistha Divas Committee president Pradosh Patnaik told reporters termed omission of Aparajita’s name from the list as unfortunate, and said the government was advised to invite her.
Stating that Bhubaneswar MP’s role in the development of the state capital is significant, he said the lawmaker should have been invited as a guest as she has been making constant efforts for the development of the capital city.
“It is unfortunate that the MP’s name has been dropped,” Patnaik said, adding that the committee also stressed on inviting her at the last preparatory meeting held yesterday.
Committee general secretary Sanat Mishra said Mayor Sulochana Das had made it clear that the Bhubaneswar MP’s name will not be included in the guest list, but an invitation card will be sent to her.
Committee vice president Pradyumna Mohanty also stated that the Mayor decided to drop Aparajita’s name from guest list and gave instruction for sending only a card to her.
The Mayor said that she had not been invited to a meeting called by Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on modernisation plans for Bhubaneswar station and, therefore, Aparajita should not be invites to the function as guest, he claimed.
