The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) strongly condemned the Odisha Government after Banaras Hindu University (BHU) cancelled a lecture program featuring senior journalist and poet Kedar Mishra.
The program, scheduled under the prestigious Kabi Samrat Upendra Bhanja Odia Chair, was meant to highlight the works of revolutionary poet Santha Kabi Bhima Bhoi.
According to BJD spokesperson Dr Lenin Mohanty, BHU authorities had invited Mishra well in advance. However, when he arrived at the university as a guest, organisers informed him that the program had been cancelled following pressure from the Odisha Government. Mishra, feeling insulted, returned without delivering the lecture.
Dr Mohanty alleged that the BJP government in Odisha, with support from ruling BJP leaders in Uttar Pradesh, forced the cancellation. He described the move as political interference in the field of literature and an affront to Odia pride.
“The BJP government came to power, raising the slogan of Odia Asmita. Yet, by preventing Kedar Mishra’s lecture, it has insulted not just one poet but the entire Odia literary world and the people of Odisha,” Dr Mohanty said.
He added that while the BJP government often speaks of reverence for literary figures, its actions reveal a narrow mindset. The BJD urged the state government to rise above such politics and stop insulting Odia literature personalities.
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