Biju Patnaik birth anniversary: Odisha observed ‘Panchayati Raj Day’ on March 5 since the 1990s to coincide with Biju Patnaik’s birthday.
Biju Patnaik birth anniversary: The BJP government in Odisha announced on Monday that it will celebrate ‘Panchayati Raj Divas’ on April 24, and March 5 will be observed as the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, instead of Panchayati Raj Day, which had been celebrated for decades. Additionally, the government cancelled the holiday that had been observed on that day.
Panchayati Raj Day to be celebrated on April 24
In a statement, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that although March 5 has traditionally been observed as “Panchayati Raj Divas” in Odisha, this year, it will be celebrated on April 24 to align with the national observance.
“Odisha Govt will no more observe Panchayati Raj Divas on 5th March, Which Is Biju Babu’s Birthday . Instead, Panchayati Raj Divas will be observed on April 24. The new date was approved by the CM today. March 5 is the birth anniversary of Odisha’s legendary leader, Biju Patnaik. The state BJP government has decided to celebrate March 5 as the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik and not as ‘Panchayati Raj Day’. Besides that, the Odisha government has also canceled the holiday on that day,” the CMO said in a statement.
While Odisha had observed ‘Panchayati Raj Day’ on March 5 since the 1990s to coincide with Biju Patnaik’s birthday, the national ‘PR Day’ is celebrated on April 24. On this day, awards are given to panchayat representatives from various states, including the Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award and others.
“To overcome this inconsistency at the national and state levels in the celebration of Panchayati Raj Day, the state government has decided to no longer celebrate March 5 as Panchayati Raj Day in Odisha and will instead celebrate it on April 24,” the CMO said.
The state government has also decided to observe Public Service Day on April 24. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi approved the proposal to mark March 5 solely as Biju Patnaik’s birth anniversary, instead of Panchayati Raj Divas.
The announcement came hours after the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) demanded the government clarify its position on celebrating Panchayati Raj Divas on March 5.
BJD expressed disappointment
The BJD expressed disappointment over the state government’s indifference towards celebrating Panchayati Raj Divas on March 5.
“The Panchayati Raj Divas has been celebrated on the birthday of Biju Babu since the early 1990’s, irrespective of the party in power in Odisha. All previous governments including Congress, have celebrated it on March 5 as Panchayati Raj Divas. But it is a matter of great sorrow that the BJP government delinked Biju Patnaik’s name from the panchayati raj divas,” BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra said.
“It is unfortunate that the state government delinked Biju Patnaik from the panchayati raj system. It was Biju Patnaik who strengthened the panchayati raj movement in the country and made 30 per cent reservation for women in the three-tier panchayati raj system,” he added.
The state will celebrate 109th birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik on March 5.
