New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: A row over the recent Netaji Jayanti programme held in Cuttack resurfaced on Tuesday with senior BJD leader and Rajya Sabha MP Debashish Samantaray raising the issue in Parliament.
Alleging that he was not invited to the official event deliberately, he termed the move an insult to Rajya Sabha.
Raising the issue in the Rajya Sabha, the BJD MP criticised the role of Cuttack District Collector, Dattatraya Bhausaheb Shinde. Samantaray urged the Rajya Sabha Chairman to issue a breach of privilege notice against the Collector for ignoring an elected Rajya Sabha member.
The BJD leader stated that while the Vice President attended the Netaji Jayanti function and local MLAs, MPs, and other public representatives were invited, the omission of a Rajya Sabha MP amounted not to a personal slight but disrespect to the House itself.
The BJD MP urged the Rajya Sabha Chairman to take serious note and initiate action. The issue has added a political edge to what was meant to be a commemorative event, drawing attention to protocol and administrative conduct.
The BJD leader from Cuttack had earlier claimed he was not extended an invitation or given due recognition despite his local prominence. His name was conspicuously absent from the inauguration plaque unveiled during the event. Samantaray had described the lapse as a disrespect to the Rajya Sabha itself.
“Despite representing Cuttack district, my name was deliberately left out, while those from Congress and other BJD representatives were featured,” said the former two-time MLA from Barabati-Cuttack.
He had further alleged that the omission was not an oversight but a planned conspiracy, holding the district administration, the district collector, and the state Culture Department accountable for breaching established norms.
The Cuttack Collector was not immediately available for comment.
