Differences in the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) over Biju Patnaik birth centenary celebrations on March 5 further intensified on Wednesday with several party leaders taking on Minister Damodar Rout for his move to hold a function at his constituency Paradip by inviting many national leaders cutting across party lines as guests.
After party supremo and Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik held a review meeting on process for centenary celebration, Rout and party’s another senior leader Bed Prakash Agrawal were seen indulging in a verbal duel outside the party office. Sources said Rout strongly reacted to Agrawal when the latter said a separate programme for celebrating Bijubahu centenary is not needed when the party is all set to do it with all sincerity.
Rout said Bibubabu’s centenary should not be limited to any party and he is dissatisfied with things going on vis-à-vis centenary celebration. Agrawal again countered Rout saying Bijubabu was also everyone’s leader and, hence the party should observe it. Rout got infuriated over this remark soon. MlA Prafulla Samal tried to calm Rout by embracing him, but Rout pushed him and went away. Soon Samal was heard saying, “Damabhai, you are our guru.”
All these happened after the Chief Minister departed the venue. However, the Chief Minister is apparently in support of Rout’s effort to invite national leaders of different parties to the Paradip function. This was evident from Patnaik’s earlier statement at the BJD office on the day that “Bijubabu was beyond any political boundary”.