Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik paid tribute to his father late Biju Patnaik on 28th death anniversary

Bhubaneswar: 17/4/25:Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik paid tribute to his father late Biju Patnaik, on 28th death anniversary today.

Along with party leaders and supporters, Naveen paid floral tribute to the statue of Biju Patnaik at Biju Patnaik Park in Bhubaneswar in the morning.

The top leaders in the BJD and party workers attended the ‘Shradh’ ceremony organised at Bindusagar near Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. They garlanded Biju Patnaik’s portrait and remembered his contribution to Odisha. BJD leaders Debi Prasad Mishra, Ashok Panda, BMC Mayor Sulochana Das, Bhubaneswar (North) MLA Sushant Rout, Bhubaneswar (Central) MLA Ananta Narayan Jena, among others, performed the ritual on the banks of Bindusagar on former Chief Minister’s death anniversary on Thursday.

We pay a rich tribute to Biju Patnaik, the legendary leader and founder of New Odisha, on his 28th death anniversary. He had been saying that Odisha can never remain a poor state, which possesses significant mineral resources and a long coastline with diverse beaches. He had fought for over 50 years to make Odisha an industrial hub in the country. On this occasion, we vow to make Odisha a developed state, the dream cherished by Biju Babu,” said BJD leader Sanjay Dasburma.

Biju Patnaik (1916–1997) was a distinguished Indian aviator, freedom fighter, and statesman, revered as a visionary leader in Odisha and beyond.

Born on March 5, 1916, in Cuttack, Odisha, Biju Patnaik hailed from an aristocratic Karan family. He pursued his education at Ravenshaw College but left to train as a pilot at the Aeronautical Training Institute of India, later joining the Royal Indian Air Force during World War II. His daring missions included flying clandestine operations to support India’s independence movement, for which he was imprisoned by the British.

In 1947, Patnaik undertook a perilous mission to rescue Indonesian leaders resisting Dutch colonial rule. Defying Dutch forces, he flew into Java and evacuated key figures like Sutan Sjahrir, facilitating their participation in international diplomacy. For his bravery, Indonesia honoured him with its highest civilian award, the Bintang Jasa Utama, and granted him honorary citizenship.

He served as Chief Minister of Odisha twice, from 1961 to 1963 and from 1990 to 1995. He had also held the position of Union Minister for Steel and Mines between 1977 and 1980 at the Centre. He passed away on April 17, 1997, in New Delhi.