Odisha CM stands in human chain marking Biju Patnaik's birth centenary

Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday, held hands with others in the 35-km long human chain from historic Dhauli hills to Nandankanan Zoo, here as mark of solidarity to mark the birth centenary celebrations of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, and to celebrate the completion of 80 years of formation of Odisha.

Patnaik stood in the chain near Forest Park, here with Bhubaneswar MP Prasana Patsani on one side and Panchayatiraj Minister, Arun Sahoo on the other.

Similar human chains were created in all the block headquarters across Odisha, Sahoo said.

"I am delighted that the celebration of Biju Babu's birth centenary and 80th year of the formation of Odisha into a province is being enthusiastically maintained through human chain in all the 314 blocks of Odisha," Patnaik said after inaugurating the human chain.

He specially thanked the youth and women for participating enmass in the human chain. 

School and college students also participated in large number in the human chain.

Opposition Congress and BJP, however, criticised the state government for spending lakhs of rupees from the public exchequer on creation of human chain.

"Had it (human chain) been in honour of Biju babu, they would have taken others. This was completely a political programme of the ruling party," Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra of Congress, said.

Though, the Chief Minister inaugurated the human chain programme near Forest Park, Mishra, who resides close to the venue, was not invited by the government.

The human chain was being organised by the panchayati raj department.

BJP state president Basant Panda also came down heavily on the government for spending public money in the BJD programme.