By Our Correspondent
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha on Friday remembered one of its modern times legend and former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik on his 23rd death anniversary. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik paid tributes to his late father and took to his twitter handle, Naveen said, “His mantra of service towards the welfare of people has been inspiring us to work for the greater good of people.”
“ସବୁବେଳେ ଲୋକଙ୍କ ସହ ରହିବା ଏବଂ ପ୍ରତିଟି ଲୋକର କଲ୍ୟାଣ ଓ ଉନ୍ନତି ପାଇଁ କାର୍ଯ୍ୟ କରିବା ବିଜୁ ବାବୁଙ୍କ ମନ୍ତ୍ର ଥିଲା; ଯାହା ଲୋକଙ୍କ ସେବା ପାଇଁ ସର୍ବଦା ଆମକୁ ଅନୁପ୍ରାଣିତ କରିଆସିଛି। ସେହି ମହାନ ପୁଣ୍ୟାତ୍ମା, ଓଡ଼ିଶାର ବରପୁତ୍ର, ମହାନ ଜନନାୟକ ବିଜୁ ପଟ୍ଟନାୟକଙ୍କ ତିରୋଧାନ ଦିବସରେ ବିନମ୍ର ଶ୍ରଦ୍ଧାଞ୍ଜଳି ଜଣାଉଛି,” Naveen twitted.
Besides Chief Minister Patnaik, Union PNG-Steel Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, BJP National VP-Spokesperson Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda, BJD Rajya Sabha MP Dr Sasmit Patra, former Union Minister Dilip Ray, senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra, BJD Organising secretary Pranab Prakash Das and several others paid floral tribute to Biju Babu.
While Party workers abiding by COVID-19 guidelines, maintaining social distance led by Minister Ashok Panda and two local MLAs Anata Jena and Sushant Rout, performed puja at Bindu Sagar in Bhubaneswar
The legendary man was born on 5 March 1916 to Lakshminarayan and Ashalata Patnaik in Cuttack. After studying Aeronautics at the Aeronautical Training Institute of India, he started his career with Indian National Airways.
Biju Patnaik was imprisoned until 1945 due to his participation in the Quit India Movement. He had also plunged headlong into the Nepalese Democratic Movement and Indonesia’s struggle for independence from the Dutch. He flew out the then Indonesian Prime Minister Sultan Sjahrir to Singapore, and then to Delhi where Sjahrir met Jawaharlal Nehru.
After independence, the grateful Indonesian government subsequently conferred its highest civilian award, Bhumi Putra to him. He served as the Chief Minister of Odisha from 1961 to 1963 and again from 1990-1995. He was a member of both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.
Biju Patnaik was involved with many projects like the Paradip Port, the Orissa Aviation Centre, Bhubaneswar Airport, the Cuttack-Jagatpur Mahanadi highway bridge and many others.
The former Odisha CM breathed his last in New Dehli on April 17, 1997. He founded the Kalinga Prize, which the UNESCO has been conferring for excellence in the field of science.
