Odisha minister's opinion on 'Bande Utkal Janani' creates stir

In the backdrop of a popular demand for according state song status to 'Bande Utkal Janani,' Odisha Labour Minister Sushant Singh has triggered a controversy by suggesting a change of a word in it.

The opposition parties and several cultural outfits across the state have been demanding state song status to "Bande Utkal Janani," a patriotic poem written by Kantakabi Laxmikant Mohapatra when Odisha became a province in 1936.

Though Bande Utkal Janani is one of the adorable songs of Odisha, but many people in western part of the have been protesting against it, the minister told reporters here yesterday.

"People in most places in western Odisha have suggested that the song will be acceptable to them if the word Utkal is replaced with Odisha. Instead of 'Bande Utkal Janani,' it should be Bande Odisha Janani," he said.

Stating that he was not aware of the decision of the state government in this regard, Singh said "It would be better if it (government) considers the sentiment of the people of western Odisha."
Reacting to the statement, BJP spokesperson Golak Mohapatra said, "let the state government take a call on this matter. Does the state government want what Susanta Singh has proposed? Let the government make it clear."