BHUBANESWAR: Ex-MP and newly inducted BJP leader Sidhanta Mohapatra on Wednesday targeted his former boss, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for skipping the state-level Utkal Divas celebrations and sending his representative to the birthplace of Utkalmani Gopabandhu Das.
Addressing his first media conference at the state BJP office after his nomination from Digapahandi Assembly seat, Mohapatra said the chief minister addressed the function organised by the state government here on April 1 virtually. “It is a matter of concern that the chief minister did not think it fit to attend the state-level celebration and send his representative to Suando village, the birthplace of the great son of the soil, on Utkal Divas. This has not only hurt me but all Odias who take pride in Gopabandhu,” he said.
In fact, the actor-turned-politician was referring to the visit of 5T chairman VK Pandian to Suando where he garlanded the statue of Gopabandhu Das and paid tributes to the great sons of soil who contributed to the formation of separate Odisha state on the basis of language.
As BJP has selectively made ‘Odia Asmita’ or Odia pride as its main poll plank this elections to drive home the point to the electorates that the chief minister relies more on non-Odias, Mohapatra said it was unfortunate that names of eminent personalities were not mentioned correctly.
“The name of renowned poet like Kanta Kabi (Laxmikanta Mohapatra) was mispronounced as ‘Kantha Kabi’ at the first World Odia Language Conference. This apart, the government gave charge of the event to a non-Odia,” he rued. Mohapatra said the state government has done nothing in the last 24 years to promote Odia language. The chief minister’s inability to speak Odia has hurt people. The BJP will raise its voice whenever there is a threat to Odia language and its pride, he added.
Responding to a query, Mohapatra said the BJD;s accusation that he deceived the party by joining BJP is not right. It is the other way round.