Biju legacy defies political barriers

Kendrapada: Leaders cutting across party lines, trade unionists and several other followers came together to honour former chief minister Biju Patnaik at an event in Paradip. The centenary celebration was organised by the Biju Patnaik Memorial Trust in the port town.
Excise minister Damodar Rout, MLA (Paradip) and president of the trust, was the brain behind the event.
Rout ruled out any political motive behind the elaborate plans to observe the birth centenary of Biju Patnaik in Paradip for a year. "He built a port in Paradip in the 1960s. He was, in fact, the architect of modern Odisha," he said.
The meeting was also addressed by former MP Pravat Samantray, the chairman of Paradip municipality Basant Biswal, among others. Around 5,000 people attended the meeting.
Rout kicked off a vehicle Biju Rath in Paradip on Wednesday to cover the districts of Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur to draw more people to the Biju centenary meeting at Paradip on Saturday.
Senior Congress leader and former speaker of state assembly Sarat Kar urged the present generation to draw inspiration from him for protecting national sovereignty. "He endeavoured to establish and strengthen the system of parliamentary democracy in the state and in the country," said senior BJP leader and former minister Biswabhusan Harichandan. Shivaji Patnaik, a senior CPM leader and former MP, reiterated the democratic spirit upheld by Biju. "He supported anti-fascist movements during the World War II and by helping the freedom fighters of Indonesia, contributed to the international struggle against fascism and imperialism," he said.
Senior Congress leader and opposition leader in the state assembly Narasingh Mishra said there was always tremendous respect for him. "Though our party opposed many policies proposed by him, I can easily say he was one of the most important leaders of the state."
In Kendrapada, BJP leader and former chairman of Kendrapada municipality Bijaya Krushna Sahoo and others organized the centenary celebration under the banner of Biju Bichar Manch in Kendrapada. "We are all his proteges. He was elected to Lok Sabha from Kendrapada in 1977, 1980 and 1984. In 1980 and 1984, Congress had won 20 Lok Sabha seats out of 21 as voters of Kendrapada had voted for Biju Patnaik," said Bijaya Krushna Sahoo, president of Biju Bichar Manch.