Bhubaneswar: A rousing welcome has been given to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at his arrival here on Tuesday from New Delhi.
Over 50,000 BJD workers and supporters gathered here at Biju Patnaik International Airport have given a grand reception to their supreme leader for receiving lifetime achievement award from New Delhi-based Capital Foundation.
Big cutouts, posters, and banners were put up on the road from Biju Patnaik International Airport to Naveen Niwas and also on the streets of the capital city. Party workers carrying party flags, posters and banners raised slogans all along the road to greet the Chief Minister.
Various cultural troupes arranged by the BJD performed dances and music to greet the Chief Minister who boarded a specially designed bus from the airport to his residence.
The Chief Minister also made a brief speech from the bus and dedicated the award to 4.5 crores people of Odisha.
The Commissioner of Police has deployed 30 platoons of Police and around 100 of its officers to regulate traffic movement and maintain law and order during the reception.
Almost all major roads in the capital city were jammed and the commuters faced untold miseries in reaching their destination during the felicitation.
People travelling to Railway station and Airport faced a harrowing time and had to literally run to catch their train and plane as no means of transport was available to reach their destination.
The Commissioner of Police had earlier in an advisory said there would be a large gathering from 8 AM to 1 PM at the airport as people would gather to welcome the Chief Minister and asked the people travelling during the period to reach the airport three hours before their scheduled time.
BJP MLA and leader of Opposition Jaynarayan Mishra described the award and the felicitation programme as a farce by the ruling BJD. He alleged it is a procured award.
“This (lifetime achievement) award has been bought, for how much I’m not aware. I don’t know whether the organisation which has given the award has any credibility. An organisation, which is not known to anyone in India, has felicitated CM, isn’t this drama,” Mr.Mishra alleged.
Similarly, Congress MLA Suresh Chandra Routray also described the felicitation of the Chief Minister by the party worker as nothing but a high drama by the party. People will give befitting reply to the ruling party for such drama in 2024, he claimed.
On the other hand, BJD leader and Cuttack Mayor said there is nothing to hide. In terms of food security, Odisha is among top 3 states in the country, he said.
“Under the leadership of Naveen Patnaik, our State has set an example in the country in terms of women empowerment and other developmental projects under the 5T scheme,” Mr.Singh said.
BJD MP Sasmit Patra said the entire Odisha welcomed the CM in a grand way because this is a moment of pride for all of us. “I don’t want to politicise the matter as his 25 years of hard work has earned him the Lifetime Achievement Award,” Dr.Patra said.
Notably, this road show of Naveen coincides with the back-to-back visits of senior BJP leaders to Odisha with an eye on the 2024 elections.