Bhubaneswar: After stalling the Odisha Assembly over alleged disrespect by the BJP government to Biju Patnaik, the BJD on Friday submitted a memorandum with Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati, seeking restoration of Panchayati Raj Diwas on March 5, coinciding with the birth anniversary of the former CM.
In their memorandum, the BJD MLAs sought withdrawal of the government’s March 3 decision to shift Panchayati Raj Day celebration from March 5 to April 24. “….The state cabinet in 1993 had decided to observe his birthday as the Panchayati Raj Diwas….. for the last 31 years, the state has been observing the day even during the Congress rule from 1995 to 2000, BJD-BJP coalition government from 2000-2009 focussing on empowerment of the 3-tier Panchayati Raj Institutions,” it said.
The BJD argued that a cabinet decision can’t be overturned through an executive order.
The regional party also highlighted Biju’s stature and his contribution towards strengthening the Panchayati Raj system in Odisha.
“Today, in the afternoon, the BJD Legislature Party proceeded in a procession from the Assembly building to Raj Bhavan to submit a memorandum to the Governor. The Governor was kind enough to be available; he discussed the matter with us and received the memorandum. He also made some observations, which were highly gratifying…” BJD MLA Ganeswar Behera told IANS.
Earlier in the day, BJD members also staged a protest outside the Odisha Assembly to oppose the date change decision.
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Speaking about the uproar in the Assembly, BJP MLA Irasis Acharya said, “…The BJD did not allow the Assembly to function. It’s a shame. When the session resumed at 4 PM, they walked out and tried to disrupt the proceedings… The party is now divided into multiple factions.”
