March, 5 Odisha: The recent move by the Odisha government of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to postpone the state’s Panchayati Raj Divas from March 5 to April 24 has raised a major political storm. It has been the practice in Odisha to mark March 5 as Panchayati Raj Divas as a tribute to the birth anniversary of the former Chief Minister of Odisha, Biju Patnaik, for his rich contribution to the state’s Panchayati Raj system. The new directive synchronizes Odisha’s celebration with the National Panchayati Raj Day, which falls on April 24 and also cancels the public holiday earlier observed on March 5.
Biju Patnaik, the tall figure in the political firmament of Odisha, is responsible for introducing the three-tier Panchayati Raj system in the state. In 1991, while in his second Chief Ministerial term, he made substantial changes by keeping one-third of the seats of Panchayati Raj institutions reserved for women, making Odisha a state that led the country in political empowerment of women at the grassroots level.
The move has invited scathing criticism from opposition parties. The Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the party formed by Biju Patnaik’s son Naveen Patnaik, has termed the move as a clear attempt to tarnish the image of a leader who played a crucial role in consolidating Panchayati Raj institutions.
Senior BJD leader Debi Prasad Mishra articulated that delinking Biju Patnaik’s birthday from Panchayati Raj Divas is an insult to his service and has caused harm to the sentiments of many panchayat members in Odisha.
The Congress party has also criticized the move, calling on Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi to reconsider. Congress leaders say that celebrating March 5 as Panchayati Raj Divas has been a long-standing tradition, followed by successive state governments, and that changing it dilutes the appreciation of Biju Patnaik’s work in strengthening local governance.
In its defense, the BJP government states that keeping the state’s Panchayati Raj Divas in line with the national celebration on April 24 puts an end to inconsistencies and brings about uniformity in the commemoration of Panchayati Raj institutions across the nation. The government stands by its statement that Biju Patnaik’s birthday anniversary will be celebrated with the proper respect, even though without been declared a public holiday.
This announcement has set the stage for a larger discussion on the tensions between national standardization and regional heritage, particularly in regard to the legacies of prominent regional rulers. With the state looking towards the newly established Panchayati Raj Divas on April 24, only time will tell how this resolution will affect the politics and public opinion of Odisha. Keep Reading Questiqa.in for more updates.
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