Bhubaneswar, March 3: The India Post today released a special cover to commemorate the birth centenary of Biju Patnaik amid a hue and cry by the BJD over the Centre's refusal to honour Biju babu with Bharat Ratna and earmark funds in the Union budget for his centenary celebrations.

Releasing the special cover, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said: "The special covers are a mark of recognition of Biju babu's service to the nation. I wish youngsters will follow his ideals and work towards a resurgent Odisha."

Tilak De, chief postmaster general of Odisha, was present on the occasion. Around 1,000 such covers have been released for the public and will be available at post offices across the country.

In another development, the BJD today announced its plans to hold a public meeting in Bhubaneswar on Saturday to observe the birth centenary of the late leader. The state government will also celebrate the occasion as Panchayati Raj Day.

Four convenors of the Biju centenary committee - Bed Prakash Agarwal, Surjya Patra, Sanjay Das Burma and Debi Prasad Mishra - today asserted that the late leader was "above party politics and a statesman" - whose centenary celebrations should not be politicised. However, the organisers seem to be ill-prepared at the moment for the March 5 function.

Asked why the party has not involved leaders from other parties in the celebrations, they claimed that people from various walks of life, who were associated with Biju babu, would be felicitated at the function. They could not mention the name of a single person, who the party is planning to felicitate. "We are finalising the list," said senior leader Surya Patra. Nor could the leaders name the countries, where the BJD proposes to hold functions during the centenary years.

Incidentally, excise minister Damodar Rout, who has come under subtle criticism from various quarters of the party for holding a parallel meet in Paradip under the aegis of Biju Memorial Trust, has managed to give the impression that his function was not a partisan one.

His meeting will be attended by governor S.C. Jamir, Opposition leader Narasingha Mishra, former Speaker Sarat Kar, former minister and senior BJP leader Biswa Bhusan Harichandan, freedom fighter Bhabani Charan Patnaik and CPM leader Sibaji Patnaik. The function is being organised under the aegis of the trust, of which Rout is the mentor.

Bed Prakash Agarwal, who has been at loggerhead with Rout over the celebration of Biju's centenary, today said: "Biju babu represents Odia pride and is above party politics. We will celebrate Biju Jayanti in foreign countries where he was loved and respect. We are in touch with various Odia societies in these countries."

Naveen today launched a website on Biju, www.bijupatnaik.org. The website, available both in Odia and English, carries rare photographs of the leader and a number of video clips and audio messages. The chief minister also inaugurated a souvenir calendar that carries rare photographs of the late leader.