Bhubaneswar: A minister from west Odisha wants changes in the wordings of the song Bande Utkal Janani to make it "sound more relevant to the entire state".

Labour and energy minister Sushant Singh on Tuesday said the song should be changed to Bande Odisha Janani to ensure that it gains acceptance in all parts of the state.

"Many people from west Odisha feel that the song will be relevant to them only if the word 'Utkal' is replaced with 'Odisha'," the minister said, while reminding people that there was already a strong demand for a separate Kosal state in the western part.

"For the people of west Odisha, connection to 'Utkal' has a different approach. So, the state government should first take into consideration the emotions of the people of west Odisha before attempting to make it the state anthem," he said.

Reacting to it, BJD spokesperson Pratap Deb said that every individual has the right to express his or her personal opinion.

"The government will take a decision to accord state-song status to the song and individual opinions do not stand before it," he said. He recalled that the Assembly had already taken a view on the issue and wanted to make the song the state anthem.

Bande Utkal Janani is an Odia patriotic poem written by poet Laxmikanta Mohapatra when Odisha became a province in 1936.

The poet's grandson, Prabhu Kalyan Mohapatra, felt that the government should give the song its due. "We need to celebrate the song in its original form," he said.

Writer Ananta Jena said: "It is high time the state government takes a call on the issue. But, I feel using the original lyrics of the song without any distortion should be acceptable to all."