Bhubaneswar: A day after 125th birth anniversary celebration of Harekrushna Mahtab was inaugurated, a war of words erupted between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) in Odisha on Friday over the manner in which great leaders were treated by the previous government.
While BJP alleged that the previous BJD government neglected great leaders including Mahtab, the regional party refuted the allegation and claimed that all legendary figures were given proper honour when Naveen Patnaik was the Chief Minister.
Senior BJP leader and Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan accused the previous BJD government of having neglected Harekrushna Mahtab and even stopped celebrating his birth anniversary.
“It is unfortunate that they (previous BJD government) had stopped the state-level birth anniversary celebrations of Harekrushna Mahtab during the last two years,” Harichandan told reporters.
Claiming that BJD has consistently honoured former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik while neglecting other prominent figures, the Minister said BJD only focused on Biju Patnaik for a very long time, ignoring the contributions of other great personalities. Which is not in line with Odisha’s traditions.
Asserting that BJP respects all legendary figures equally, Harichandan said from Madhusudan Das to Harekrushna Mahatab and Biju Patnaik, the BJP government acknowledges the contributions of every great personality towards Odisha’s development.
He said many great leaders have contributed immensely to the progress of Odisha and their legacy should not be confined to political narratives.
Refuting the allegation made by Harichandan, veteran BJD leader and former Minister Debi Prasad Mishra said no one was promoted selectively by the previous government. He also sought to know whether Biju Patnaik does not deserve to be remembered and honoured.
Stating that all great leaders were respected by BJD, Mishra said the previous government had launched Madhubabu Pension Yojana as a mark of honour to legendary Madhusudan Das. Similarly, rural road scheme was named after Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das.
However, the BJD leader lashed out at the BJP government for changing the name of Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY).
Mishra said if BJP wants to do something in the name of Mahtab they are free to go ahead, but should not change names of schemes like BSKY.
It may be noted that President Droupadi Murmu on Thursday inaugurated the 125th Birth Anniversary Celebration of Harekrushna Mahtab in New Delhi.
