CM to attend prayer meet

BHUBANESWAR:Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik will attend the all party and public prayer meeting to be organised in memory of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee by state BJP here on Friday.
Naveen will reach the all party prayer meeting venue at 5 pm and remain there for 20 minutes before leaving for BJD headquarters here to attend the State executive body meeting of Biju Mahila Janata Dal.

Union Minister for Tribal Affairs Jual Oram and State BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty had visited Naveen Nivas here on Wednesday to invite the Chief Minister for the prayer meeting. Sources in BJP said Naveen had given his consent to attend the prayer meeting.

The BJP has also invited Leader of the Opposition Narasingh Mishra, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Niranjan Patnaik and several senior leaders from other political parties to attend the all-party prayer meeting.

However, Niranjan criticised BJP for trying to use ‘Asthi Kalas Yatra’ of Vajpayee for political mileage. “It is shameful on BJP’s part to use the remains of Atalji for political mileage. What’s even worse is the attitude of some BJP leaders who appear to be participating in a picnic and not a ‘Shok Sabha’. How pained the bereaved family must be to see such visuals?” Niranjan tweeted.