Bhubaneswar, Sept. 24: The BJP today made it clear that the party would support BJD's proposal to declare March 5, the birth anniversary of legendary leader Biju Patnaik, whose centenary will be celebrated next year, a national holiday.

State BJP president K.V. Singh Deo told newspersons: "Biju babu is above party politics. Let the BJD submit a proposal to the Centre on how to commemorate the birth centenary of Biju babu, we will certainly support it."

Singh Deo made the comment during a press meet called to highlight the BJD government's total failure.

Odisha BJP in-charge Arun Singh promptly seconded what his state party chief had said.

On being asked how the BJP would celebrate the centenary year of Biju Patnaik, a hardline critic of the RSS, Singh Deo said: "Biju babu might have opposed the RSS. But the RSS has no reservations about Biju babu."

However, Odisha unit spokesperson of the RSS Rabi Narayan Panda was not that forthcoming in his statement.

When asked about the BJD's proposal, Panda told The Telegraph: "The RSS will maintain silence on this issue. However, it will not oppose the move."

The reluctance of the RSS to compete with the BJD in appropriate the legacy Biju is understandable as the former chief minister had all along been a trenchant critic of the Sangha Parivar.

Biju, who had shot into limelight during the Quit India movement, was instrumental in toppling the first non-Congress Morarji Desai government in the late 70s at the Centre. He revolted on the issue of dual membership, wherein erstwhile Jan Sangh constituents of the Janata Party maintained their association with the RSS. Even during the National Front coalition under the V.P. Singh regime in the late 80s, he had taken rigid position against the BJP.

"Aware that the BJD revolved around the charismatic personality of Naveen Patnaik and the popularity of his late father, the BJP will certainly be looking forward to extend its support base by appropriating anti-Congress votes in the state. It will definitely try to make an attempt to appropriate the Biju legacy," said Rabi Behera, a political activist.

The executive committee of the BJD at its meeting on Wednesday had announced that the party would celebrate the birth centenary in a big way and would approach the Union government to declare March 5 a national holiday.

At the news conference, Arun Singh said that apart from celebrating Biju Babu's birth anniversary, the BJD should focus on its work for the development of the state. "People are suffering on various accounts due to power cut and droughts. The government should make efforts to resolve these problems," he said.

Former State BJP president Manmohan Samal said, "The party has no objection if Biju Babu's birth day, which is observed as a holiday in the state, is declared as a national holiday. But there is a committee at the national level which decides how many days in a calendar year can be celebrated as national holidays."