Bhubaneswar: The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has dubbed the Mohan Majhi government’s decision to shift Panchayati Raj Diwas celebration from March 5 to April 24 as an evil design to systematically erase the legacy of legendary Biju Patnaik.
The CMO, in a release on Monday, said that the decision was taken to remove the anomaly in celebration of the day at national and state levels. “Every year since 2020, Odisha is observing Panchayati Raj Day on March 5, while April 24 is celebrated as National Panchayati Raj Day across India. On this occasion, awards such as the Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act Award are presented to Panchayat representatives from various States,” it said.
The birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik, a great son of Odisha, will instead be celebrated in a grand manner on March 5 but it will not be a public holiday, it added.
Disrespect to Biju Patnaik!
Odisha has been celebrating Panchayati Raj Diwas on March 5, coinciding with the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik, who is regarded as a pioneer in implementing the Panchayati Raj system in the country.
On Monday, the BJD initially castigated the government for its indifference towards celebrating Panchayati Raj Diwas on March 5. “All previous governments in the state have celebrated it on March 5 since the 90’s. But it is a matter of great sorrow that no preparations or decision have been taken by the present Mohan Charan Majhi government even as only two days left for the 109th birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik on March 5,” senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra told a presser.
Following the CMO release, senior BJD leader and 8-time MLA Ranendra Pratap Swain corrected the government on the years since the day is being celebrated on March 5 in the state. “Odisha has been observing the day since the last three decades. This factually incorrect statement smacks of petty politicking and reflects the identity crisis syndrome of the present government,” Swain said in a post on X handle.
Echoing his views, BJD leaders Debi Mishra and Sanjay Dasburma said that Biju Patnaik’s birthday is being celebrated as the Panchayati Raj Divas for the last 32 years in recognition of his contribution to strengthening panchayat institutions. “Because of the initiative taken by Biju Babu, the gram panchayat, panchayat samiti and zilla parishad system was introduced in Odisha and laws were enacted accordingly. The BJP government has shown great disrespect to Biju Babu by not celebrating Panchayati Raj Divas on March 5,” they alleged.
Biju Patnaik introduced the three-tier panchayat system in the state after being elected as the CM for the second time in 1990.
Three important Acts – Orissa Gram Panchayat (Amendment) Act, Orissa Panchayat Samiti (Amendment) Act and the Orissa Zilla Parishad (Amendment) Act, were passed in 1991, providing one-third seats for women in Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) bodies. With this, Odisha had become the first state to reserve one-third of the seats in PRIs.
“The BJP is afraid of Biju Patnaik’s legacy which’s why it is conspiring to erase his relevance for Odisha,” said BJD leader Pramila Mallick.
Congress Supports BJD’s Claim
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Bhakta Das said that Panchayati Raj Diwas has been celebrated since 2010 when the grand old party was in power in the state. “The BJP government should have continued with this practice. The public holiday was also a reminder for people as the state celebrated the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik,” he said.
Das further stated that the decision goes against the BJP government’s Odia Asmita plank. “This is nothing but an attempt to bury the legacy of the legendary leader,” he said.
He further accused the state’s BJP government of “disrespecting” Odisha’s founder Madhu Babu. “…They did not respect Odisha’s founder Madhu Babu and they are disrespecting Biju Patnaik ji. The BJP government will further interfere in Odisha’s culture…BJD is behaving like a slave of the ruling BJP. Why are they afraid of the BJP?… This is the sad state of affairs of the opposition party…,” he told ANI.
Strongly criticising the decision, senior Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati said that Biju Patnaik is the pride of Odisha. “After Lord Jagannath, Biju Babu and Janaki Babu were pillars that upheld Odisha’s self respect. People of Odisha are aggrieved and the government should reconsider the decision,” he told reporters.
Removing ‘Biju’ From Govt Schemes
After coming to power, the BJP government has changed the names of 21 state schemes launched by the previous Naveen Patnaik government. Several of these schemes were named after the former CM. These include Biju Swastya Kalyan Yojana, the flagship health insurance scheme of the previous BJD government, Biju Setu Yojana, Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana, Biju KBK Yojana, Biju Yuva Sashaktikaran Yojana and Biju Saharanchal Vidyutikaran Yojana, among others.
The government, however, did a u-turn after a decision to rename Biju Patnaik Sports Award as Odisha Rajya Krida Samman in July last year met with stiff resistance.
The colours of government buildings, Class IX and X uniforms, LAccMI buses, road signs, wall posters and milk packets have also been change from green to saffron hue.
BJP’s Counter
Defending the state government’s decision, BJP MLA Amar Nayak asserted that no disrespect has been shown to Biju Patnaik. “In fact, the BJP government has shown respect to many great persons like Godabarish Mohapatra, Madho Singh and others by launching schemes in their name,” he added.
