Chief minister, Naveen Patnaik’s recent visit to Utkal University saw unprecedented security arrangements with both police and the ruling BJD keen to avoid the repeat of 2015 incident in which student and youth Congress activists had thrown eggs at Naveen’s convoy while it was on its way to the university. Though nothing untoward happened this time the anchor who conducted the proceedings at the university students’ union annual function graced by the chief minister turned out to be a major embarrassment. First she joined the bunch of students in raising the nursery rhyme like slogan: “twinkle twinkle little star, Naveen Patnaik superstar” evoking derisive titters. As if this was not enough she pompously compared Odisha with a pond and Utkal University with a lotus sprouting in it without realizing that lotus was the symbol of BJP, the main rival of BJD in the state.
