A controversy has surfaced over the alleged omission of BJD Rajya Sabha member Debashish Samantaray’s name from the plaque of the Parakram Divas programme held in Cuttack to mark Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose’s 129th birth anniversary.

Vice-President C.P. Radhakrishnan, governor Hari Babu Kambhampati and chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi attended the programme at Netaji’s birthplace. Lok Sabha member from Cuttack, Bhartruhari Mahtab, Odisha culture minister Suryabanshi Suraj and others were also present.

However, Samantaray skipped the event in protest, alleging his name was excluded from the inaugural plaque.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Samantaray said: “I hail from Cuttack city. On the inaugural plaque, the names of all the three MLAs of Cuttack and the Lok Sabha member from Cuttack have found place. But my name was not there? I am yet to understand what is the reason for the omission of my name.”

He added: “Being a Rajya Sabha member, I have adopted Cuttack district as my nodal district where all the money from the MP LAD fund I used to spend for its development. The Vice-President is the chairman of the Rajya Sabha. The administration should have that knowledge at least.”

Samantaray said he did not see a political motive behind the omission, noting that names of Congress leaders and other BJD members were included. “It’s the bureaucracy and the collector of Cuttack who should be held responsible for it. Over phone, they invited me to attend the meeting. At least, the bureaucrats need to understand the importance of protocol,” he said.

The Rajya Sabha member said he would “definitely write about it to the privileges committee”.

Addressing the programme at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Birthplace Museum on Friday, the Vice-President paid heartfelt tributes to Netaji, describing him as a great son of Bharat.

He said the visit was deeply enriching and noted that Netaji not only fought for India’s freedom but also had a clear vision for the nation’s governance after independence. He said Netaji envisioned a strong, powerful and poverty-free India.

The Vice-President said Odisha occupied a special place in India’s civilisational journey and praised the state government’s efforts in tribal development and infrastructure.

He also inaugurated the INA Postal Stamp Gallery, an exhibition organised by the ministry of culture, and the Netaji Sanskruti Bhavan.