Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India], March 4 (ANI): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Majhi has invited the Leader of Opposition, Naveen Patnaik, to join the state-level celebrations marking the birth anniversary of legendary leader Biju Patnaik, scheduled to take place at Jayadev Bhavan in Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.

Responding to the CM's invitation, BJD Vice-President and former Odisha Minister Debi Prasad Mishra alleged that the CM's letter came after pressure and questioned the government's decision not to celebrate March 5 as 'Panchayati Raj Day. '

BJD Vice-president Debi Prasad Mishra said, 'After pressure, CM has written a letter to Naveen Babu. But why did the BJP government change the Panchayat Raj Diwas date? CM should answer first.'

The Odisha government has announced that it will celebrate the Panchayati Raj Diwas on April 24 instead of observing the same on March 5, the birth anniversary of former Chief Minister Biju Patnaik.

The state BJP government on Monday said it will observe March 5 as the former CM's birth anniversary and not as 'Panchayati Raj Day,' as has been celebrated for decades. Further, there will be no Government holiday on March 5, a statement from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

Though March 5 has been celebrated as 'Panchayati Raj Divas' in Odisha every year, this time, the day will be observed on April 24, in alignment with the national observance, it said. 'Odisha Govt will no longer observe Panchayati Raj Divas on 5th March, which is Biju Babu's Birthday.

Instead, Panchayati Raj Divas will be observed on April 24. The new date was approved by the CM today. March 5 is the birth anniversary of Odisha's legendary leader, Biju Patnaik. The state BJP government has decided to celebrate March 5 as the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik and not as 'Panchayati Raj Day.

Besides that, the Odisha government has also canceled the holiday on that day,' said the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) in a statement today.

While Odisha has observed 'Panchayati Raj Day' on March 5 since the 1990s to coincide with Biju Patnaik's birthday, the national 'Panchayati Raj Day' is celebrated on April 24.

On this day, awards are given to Panchayat representatives from various states, including the Rashtriya Gaurav Gram Sabha Award and others.

The state government's announcement came hours after the opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) asked the state government to clarify its stand on the celebration of the Panchayati Raj Divas on March 5. (ANI)