Rajya Sabha MP demands Bharat Ratna for Biju

Cuttack: Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray on Tuesday demanded the Bharat Ratna for former chief minister Biju Patnaik.Speaking on Biju’s 108th birth anniversary, Debashish said, “Biju Patnaik, who was a daredevil pilot, must be on the top of the list for the country’s highest civilian honour. I am surprised to know the selection committee of Bharat Ratna, which sat for discussion, forgot such a towering leader of this country.”“He was the only leader of the country whose body was wrapped in the flags of three countries (Indonesia, Russia and India) during his last rites for his magnificent contribution,” he added.“Patnaik’s unflinching courage in flying out former Indonesian Prime Minister Sutan Sjahrir and vice-president Mohammad Hatta, who were under house arrest in Jakarta by Dutch and British forces in July 1947, was a legendary action. For which, Indonesia bestowed upon him its highest civilian honour, Bhumiputra and Bintang Jasa Uttama,” he said.We also published the following articles recently