Odisha’s representation at national level was never this big: Amit Shah

BHUBANESWAR: Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the "acche din (good days)" of Odisha have come with unprecedented representation of the state at the national level.
Speaking at an event to mark the 75th anniversary of Odia daily Prajatantra in Cuttack, Shah said Odias occupy top posts in the country like never before.
"President of India Droupadi Murmu, education minister Dharmendra Pradhan, railways minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, Reserve Bank of India governor Shaktikanta Das and minister of state for tribal affairs Bishweshwar Tudu, Odisha had never got such high representation since independence," Shah said.
Shah congratulated the people of Odisha by saying Droupadi Murmu born in a poor tribal family of the state is now the "Mahamahim Rashtrapati."
Speaking at the event, chief minister Naveen Patnaik said the role of media in a democratic society can hardly be overemphasized. "It should endeavour to uphold our great cultural heritage and moral values and promote national integration and communal harmony. Media should discharge its duty without any fear or favour," he said.
Naveen said media runs on the basis of people’s trust. It is therefore expected that media should prioritise the real issues of people rather than politics. Media essentially should be the voice of people. Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan presided over the event.
Earlier, Shah visited Lingaraj temple, an 11th century Shiva Shrine and offered "Jalavishek" to the Lord on the last auspicious Monday of the holy month of Shravan kicking off his daylong programme.
Shah is scheduled to attend a book reading session on "Modi@20: Dreams Meet Delivery," in Bhubaneswar and hold political discussions with party leaders and workers later in the evening. After taking over as home minister, it is Shah’s second visit to the state. He was in Bhubaneswar to chair the Eastern Zonal Council meeting on February 28, 2020.