Ex-PM Deve Gowda seeks Bharat Ratna for Biju Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, January 27, 2018: Former Prime Minister HD Deve
Gowda on Saturday said the Government of India must bestow the country’s
highest civilian honour, Bharat Ratna to freedom fighter and former Odisha
Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

Recalling the great contribution of the legendary leader both
during pre-independence and post-independence period, the former PM said that, “I
strongly feel that the Government of India must confer the Bharat Ratna to Biju
Patnaik as he rightly deserves the highest award of the country.”

He was speaking at the release of a pictorial biography of
former Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik titled ‘The Tall Man Biju Patnaik’ at
the Utkal Mandap here.

In December 2015, the Odisha Assembly adopted a resolution empowering
the State Government to make a demand before the Centre for conferring Bharat
Ratna on Biju Patnaik posthumously.

He also advocated that the book should be translated in
other languages so that the people of the country will know what a personality Biju
Patnaik was and his contribution to the nation.

“Not only in Hindi or Odia or English the book should also
published in all languages,” said Gowda adding that, he was himself surprised
to see the book.

“This book ‘The Tall Man’ must be published in all languages
because I was myself surprised when I went through the book. Everybody should
know about Biju Patnaik,” added the former Prime Minister.

On the occasion, the former PM shared his experience that
how the help of Biju Patnaik made him the Karnataka Chief Minister and also the
Prime Minister of India.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee released the pictorial
biography of the former Odisha CM in the presence of former Gowda, former
Deputy PM LK Advani, and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechuri.