BJD seeks removal of cover from 'revered conch' installed in Puri

Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD Friday moved Odisha’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) seeking removal of cover from the ‘revered conch’ installed on the Grand Road in Puri.

Conch is the election symbol of the BJD.

A delegation of the BJD submitted a memorandum with the CEO and said that the EC covered the conch following a complaint lodged by the opposition BJP.

It has hurt the sentiments of people, the BJD claimed.bjd

“The spiritual city of Puri is also known as ‘Sankha Kshetra’ (land of the conch). As per the tradition and spiritual fervour, a Sankha (conch) was installed at Badadanda (Grand Road) in Puri during the auspicious occasion of the inauguration of Srimandir (Jagannath temple) Parikrama Project,” the BJD memorandum stated.

The conch is an emblem of both cultural and spiritual significance, the ruling party said.

In the memorandum, the BJD also mentioned the 'double conch' logo of an affordable transport scheme was also covered on buses being run in the rural areas of the state.

Claiming that this is an attack on Odia pride, it said “The BJP is so scared that it targeted the social and cultural symbolism of ‘Jodi Sankha’."

The opposition BJP, on the other hand, alleged that the state government has engaged the ruling party workers to review the construction works under a government scheme.

BJP spokesman Satyabrat Panda said the government issued an official order on April 10 directing its employees to review the works of 93 'Mo Schools' under the 5T (transformation) initiative.

“It has come to our notice that some BJD workers have been engaged in the review meeting. It is a violation of poll code of conduct and we have drawn the attention of the CEO in this regard for necessary action,” Panda said.

‘Mo School’ (My School) is an initiative to bring alumni, their alma mater and the community around government-run or government-aided schools together.