Mayurbhanj collector and SP are facing flak for wearing T-shirts with Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik's photo on them during an official function.

The BJP MP from Bhubaneswar and the party’s national spokesperson Aparajita Sarangi has made it a political issue, describing it as a degeneration of official standards. However, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) maintained that there was nothing wrong in sporting a T-shirt with the chief minister’s photo.

Collector Vineet Bhardwaj and the SP B. Gangadhar were sporting the T-shirts with Naveen’s image emblazoned on them during a mini-marathon organised by the Mayurbhanj Special Development Council on Sunday.

BJP MP Aparajita, an IAS officer turned politician, tweeted, “Very unfortunate and ridiculous! Degeneration of the official standards to this extent. These officials must know that SEASON IS NOT THE SAME ALWAYS.”

Sources said Aparajita was trying to prove how the bureaucracy in the state was becoming more and more politicised.

The district collector declined to comment on the controversy. “It was an official meeting,” the collector told reporters.

However, ruling BJD’s Morada MLA from Mayurbhanj district, Rajkishore Das said, “What's wrong in wearing a T-shirt with the chief minister’s photo. Chief minister is the government. They were not wearing the T-shirts of BJD. We must condemn such bent of mind.”