BHUBANESHWAR: Stating that former chief minister and veteran Congress leader JB Patnaik was a Statesman, and a politician of a different kind who always believed in action, former union petroleum minister and senior Congress leader Veerappa Moily on Friday said that JB Patnaik had dreamt of establishing an oil refinery at Paradip which was completed during the tenure of UPA-II.
Addressing JB Patnaik’s second death anniversary organised by the State level Janaki Ballav Patnaik memorial committee, Veerappa Moily, who was Patnaik’s close friend and colleague, said the oil refinery at Paradip, however, could not be commissioned during the tenure of UPA-II.
JB Patnaik also dreamt of a petro-chemical complex at Paradip which may come up in the future, Moily said, adding that he had a vision for the industrialisation of Odisha.
Though Odisha did not have an atmosphere for setting up industries those days, JB Patnaik coined the slogan, "1000 industries in 1000 days by investing Rs 1000 crore".
Describing Patnaik as a multifaceted personality, Veerappa Moily said he was the only writer in Odisha who has completed the Ramayana, Mahabharata, Bhagabat and Bhartruhari Satakam in Odia.
Moily, who is also an accomplished writer and recipient of several prestigious awards, said he was very enriched by his life and his close association with Patnaik for many years.
President of the Memorial Committee and leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Narasingh Mishra said he came to know Patnaik in 1995 when he was chief minister. Mishra who was then in the opposition was a trenchant critic of Patnaik till 2000.
Narasingh Mishra said when he joined Congress in 2004 and worked closely with Patnaik that year, he gradually came to realize that a lot of Patnaik’s criticism was not based on facts. "I came to know about his greatness when I started working with him. He never raised those issues for which I had criticised him," Mishra said.
JB Patnaik gave Odisha stable government in 1980 and real development of the State started from that period, Mishra said. He added that Patnaik has not been given due recognition and respect.
"We had approached chief minister Naveen Patnaik to announce steps to honour the great leader," Mishra said, adding that though the chief minister had assured to do so, he forgot to do anything.
Vice-president of the Memorial Committee, Bimalendu Mohanty and founder of KIIT group of institutions also spoke on the occasion.
The committee’s general secretary, Arjya Kumar Gyanendra, introduced the guests while treasurer Dr Badrinath Patnaik proposed the vote of thanks.
Swami Bairagyananda Maharaj, founder of Ramakrishna Ashram Madanpur-Rampur in Kalahandi district, journalist Basant Das, writer Gourahari Das and educationist Maruti Pal were felicitated by the committee for their rich contribution to their respective fields.