Former Odisha CM Nabakrushna Choudhury’s Statue In Angul Sparks Controversy

Angul: A statue of freedom fighter and Odisha’s former chief minister Nabakrushna Choudhury in Angul town has sparked off a controversy.

The statue of Gandhian Choudhury has been installed in Gopabandhu Park of Angul Municipality to mark the Angul district formation day. The locals and intellectuals have strongly opposed the attire of the freedom fighter’ statue.

Choudhury led a simple lifestyle and asper Gandhian principles, he wore dhoti and khadi kurta. But his statue portrays him wearing a shirt, trousers and shoes. Taking strong exception to the disrespect shown to the former chief minister, Padma Charan Nayak, biographer of Choudhury, said, “It pained me to see the prominent leader of Odisha being shown wearing foreign clothes. It is an unpardonable mistake.”

Stating that Odia sculptors are known for their skills in infusing life into stone, Nayak said there are several pictures of Choudhury in Angul official records. “To my knowledge, Choudhury used two pairs of dhoti and kurta during freedom struggle though he belonged to an affluent family. He had no fascination for rich clothes and was a true patriot. It (his statue) not only represents distortion of history but also depicts a wrong personality of him.”

Krishna Mohanty, daughter of Nabakrushna Choudhury, also expressed her displeasure over the carelessness and disrespect to the Gandhian leader on the part of local administration. “From the look of the statue, it is hard to recognise him (Nabakrushna Choudhury).  From the reactions it has generated, the administration must realise its mistake and replace the statue,” a local new channel quoted her as saying.