BJD chief Naveen Patnaik pays floral tribute to father Biju Patnaik

Biju Janata Dal party leader also spoke about the enduring relevance of Biju Patnaik's socio-economic reforms.

BJD MP Sasmit Patra, while speaking to ANI, said, "On the birth anniversary of Biju Patnaik today, our party president Naveen Patnaik offered floral tributes to the memory of late Biju Patnaik. Biju Babu's idea of India, the idea of Odisha, goes beyond the shores of India and Odisha. Whether it's fighting the Nazis or supporting the Russians at that time during the war. Whether it was rescuing the freedom fighters of Indonesia who had gone to become the leaders of Indonesia, or fighting the Pakistanis by landing the first troops in Srinagar."

"Each time you find the bravery and valour of Biju Babu in the entire global scenario in India, he was the maker of modern Odisha, with its industrialisation or agricultural development, tribal upliftment or women's empowerment, every space of Odisha has seen the touch of Biju Babu," Sasmit Patra added.

Meanwhile, Biju Patnaik was undoubtedly a great intellectual legislator, political leader and above all, a reformer of Odisha and was a brilliant student. His early occupation was business. His hobby was aeronautics and industry.

The Biju Janata Dal was founded on December 26, 1997, and named after its leader, Biju Patnaik, the father of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. The regional party, which is headed by Patnaik, has been in power in Odisha since 2000. March 5 also happens to be the birth anniversary of former chief minister Biju Patnaik, after whom the ruling BJD is named.

Biju Patnaik's love for aviation saw him drop out of Ravenshaw College and train as a pilot. He had joined as a trainee pilot in the Royal Air Force of the British Empire and was the head of the air transport command.

Biju Patnaik was Chief Minister of the state for two terms, the first from 1961-1963 and then from 1990-1995. (ANI)