Bhubaneswar, July 12: The removal of the statue of Utkalmani Pandit Gopabandhu Das from near the main entrance of the Jagannath temple in Puri (Singhadwar) by the district adminstration on Saturday evening, has sparked off a political controversy.
Mahatma Gandhi, during his famous "Harijan padayatra" (empowering dalits) in 1934, had installed the bust of the legendary Odia figure on the Grand Road.
Later in 1955, the then President Dr Rajendra Prasad installed the life-size statue of the Odia icon, who is hugely revered in Odisha for his role in the formation of the state, at the same place.
However, yesterday the authorities removed the historic statue from outside the Jagannath temple on the plea that it would facilitate smooth conduct of the Nabakalebar festival. The authorities said that the statue had been evicted to widen the road for the ensuing rath yatra.
The administration expects a mammoth gathering of 30 lakh people on the day of the car festival on July 18.
Despite the effort of the authorities to explain the reason for evicting the statue, eminent personalities from different walks of life in the state, including Das's great grandson Dhirendra Nath Das, have protested the manner in which it was removed.
"This is what he has got in return for the sacrifices made by him for the formation of the state," said Dhirendra.
"If they had to shift the statue, it should have been done in a dignified manner," he said.
Pradesh Congress Committee president Prasad Harichandan, who called a hurried press conference today, said: "The manner in which the statue was removed has hurt the sentiments of the Odias. The history of the state will never forgive this government."
The BJP, too, questioned the reason behind the removal of the statue from the Grand Road.
It's state unit president K.V. Singh Deo pointed out that the statue of Naveen Patnaik's father Biju Patnaik continues to remain on the Grand Road.
"We are not questioning the contribution of Biju babu to the cause of the state. What we object to is the removal of the statue of the most revered figure of the state, Gopabandhu," he said.
Das, who was born in Puri district, was a founding member of Utkal Samillani, the organisation that had spearheaded the cause of a separate province for Odia speaking people in 1919.
The lawyer-turned-politician had fought for the cause of Odisha as a member of the Bihar-Odisha Legislative Council from 1917 to 1920.
Defending the action, ruling BJD spokesman Pratap Jena said that it was an administrative necessity keeping in view the possibility of a huge congregation of people during the car festival.
"The statue will be relocated elsewhere in a dignified manner," he said.
Taking on the main Opposition party in the state, Jena said the Congress had done nothing for the preservation of memory of Gopabandhu. He reminded that it was the Naveen Patnaik government that launched schemes after the great leader.
