Odisha: Swearing-in ceremony of first BJP govt postponed to June 12, suspense remains over CM pick
Bhubaneswar, Jun 9: The swearing-in ceremony for the first BJP government in Odisha has been rescheduled from June 10 to June 12, party leaders Jatin Mohanty and Vijaypal Singh Tomar confirmed here on Sunday.
Mohanty explained that the postponement was due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitments.
Modi will be busy with his own swearing-in ceremony on Sunday and meeting party MPs the following day. Additionally, the first legislature party meeting of the newly elected members is now set for June 11.
During the election campaign, Modi had said Odisha’s first BJP government would be sworn in on June 10. BJP state president Manmohan Samal had also confirmed this on Saturday.
However, the decision to change the date was taken on Sunday, party sources said.
Meanwhile, suspense still remains over the new chief minister. Senior BJP leader and newly elected MLA Suresh Pujari rushed to New Delhi, triggering speculation that he may be among the main contenders for the top post, sources said.
Pujari, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Bargarh in the 2019 polls, won the recent election from Brajarajnagar assembly constituency. His supporters believe he was called to New Delhi for discussions with central leaders.
While the BJP central leadership is yet to zero in on any leader for the CM post, Odisha party unit president Manmohan Samal on Saturday told reporters to wait for two more days for a clear picture to emerge.
After returning from New Delhi, Samal said the parliamentary board of BJP would take a decision on the chief minister at its meeting.
The BJP secured a comfortable majority in the 147-member Assembly, winning 78 seats. The party went to the elections under the leadership of Modi without naming a chief ministerial candidate.
Meanwhile, preparations are on to organise the oath-taking ceremony at Janata Maidan in Bhubaneswar.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
