Official Tag To ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ After Studying Policy: Minister

Bhubaneswar: Amid vociferous demands for state song status to ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ by political parties and some leading cultural organizations of Odisha, the state government on Saturday said it will take a call on this matter after studying the stand taken on the same issue in the neighbouring states.

“Bande Utkal Janani is adored by every Odia. The state government will take a decision to accord state song status to it after studying the policy and decision taken in this regard in the neighbouring states,” Culture and Tourism minister Ashok Panda told media persons here.

Cultural organizations such as ‘Ame Odia’ and ‘Utkal Sammilani’ have also demanded state song tag for ‘Bande Utkal Janani’.

‘I fail to understand the constraints of the government in according the status to Bande Utkal Janani when the people of Odisha have accepted it as their state song. It should come up with a gazette notification at the earliest,” said Dilip Dasburma, president of Utkal Sammilani’s Mancheswar branch in Bhubaneswar.

Former Speaker Sarat Kar said the state government still has time to give the song due respect by according it state song status.

Senior Congress leader Suresh Routray blamed both the previous and the present government for gross apathy on this issue.

“I would applaud the BJD government if it accords state song status to ‘Bande Utkal Janani’ which has been beautifully composed by Kantakabi Laxmikanta Mohapatra,” he added.

Former Kendrapara MP Baijayant Panda has also demanded that the song should be recognized by the state government.