Bhubaneswar, April 10 (IANS) The opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) will observe the 29th death anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik as ‘Prabada Purusha Divas’ across all the constituencies in the state.

At a press conference held at Sankha Bhawan(BJD headquarters) here on Friday, senior Party leaders shared details about the programmes to be organised by the party on the occasion of Biju Babu’s death anniversary.

Senior Vice-President of BJD Debi Prasad Mishra stated that local leadership across all Assembly constituencies has been instructed to organise the “Prabada Purusha Divas”.

“While the structure of the programs will be decided at the local level, activities such as Tila Tarpana (offering water mixed with black sesame seeds ), garlanding of statues, distribution of fruits to the needy and patients, and blood donation camps will be organised,” said Mishra.

He also stated that instructions have been issued to conduct intellectual discussions on Biju Babu’s role in the freedom struggle and the making of modern Odisha.

The senior BJD leader also emphasised that leaders of the party’s frontal organisations will assist in organising these events.

The occasion will also be marked by paying deep tributes to the immortal soul of Biju Patnaik while remembering the legendary leader’s contributions. Similar programs will also be organised at the BJD headquarters, Sankha Bhawan, by the Bhubaneswar District Unit, as done every year.

The BJD leaders in Bhubaneswar will organise the Tila Tarpana ritual at Bindusagar in the morning on the same day. This will be followed by garlanding Biju Babu’s statue and distribution of fruits to patients.

Speaking at the press conference, Bhubaneswar District President and former minister Ashok Panda informed the media persons that an intellectual discussion session will also be organised at the party headquarters.

Notably, the legendary leader of Odisha was a freedom fighter, aviator, and visionary statesman who shaped modern Odisha’s development trajectory.

A controversy had recently erupted after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, while running his daily series on the alleged misdeeds of the Nehru-Gandhi family, described Biju Patnaik as a “link” between Jawaharlal Nehru, the US government, and the CIA during the Chinese conflict.

The remarks drew sharp criticism from Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and former Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, son of Biju Patnaik. Naveen Patnaik expressed shock and called Dubey’s statements “outrageous” and “baseless.”

--IANS

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