Amid a political debate over Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s sister Gita Mehta humbly declining to accept Padma Shri award, questions are being raised over lack of political foresight on part of the BJP leadership.
Though the Union Government recommended names of former President Pranab Mukherjee, late Assamese singer Bhupen Hazarika and late social activist and RSS veteran Nanaji Deshmukh for the coveted Bharat Ratna, it clearly ignored legendary leader Biju Patnaik.
The highest civilian award is denied to Biju ignoring his worth and stature. The denial of the honour to Biju is mostly seen due to political reasons as Congress ruled the country most of the time.
When BJP formed the Government with majority in 2014, the people of Odisha were expecting that Biju will certainly get the honor, he deserved since long.
However, the senior Patnaik, also a noted freedom fighter, once again became a victim of injustice despite contributing to the security of the country during Chinese aggression in 1962 and war with Pakistan in 1965.
Everybody in Indian politics knows that Biju had a major role for which Jammu Kashmir is now part of India. Bijubabu carried VK Krishna Menon to Kashmir in his plane and convinced Raja Hari Singh to keep Jammu and Kashmir with India. Biju follower former Minister Damodor Rout had said this when the Odisha Legislative Assembly in 2015 passed a resolution for giving Bharat Ratna to Biju.
When Pakistan along with some other nations announced war against India in 1965, the then Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Sastri sought Biju's help to ensure that Indonesian naval warship do not come to the rescue of the enemy country and Patnaik used his personal relation with President Sukarno and stopped Indonesia's warship moment.
The list of Biju’s contribution is long. However, the BJP Government preferred to ignore the veteran freedom fighter.
Had the BJP Government recommended name of Biju for this year’s Bharat Ratna, the peoples’ mood towards the party could have been totally different in this election year as people love Biju.
However, the people at the helm failed to read the people’s mood in Odisha and quietly ignored their loving leader.
On the other hand, it is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a 90-minute discussion with Gita Mehta and her husband before recommending her name for Padma Shri Award.
Mehta, the worthy daughter of Biju, humbly declined to accept the award citing political reasons.
Now it is debated in the political circles that the purpose of recommending Gita’s name has been defeated. Had it been the case of Biju, the people of Odisha would have been very happy.
Meanwhile, former Minister and close aide, Dilip Ray has criticised the Central Government for denying Bharat Ratna to Biju.