Bhubaneswar: The delegation of Odisha MLAs, who met President Droupadi Murmu at Rashtrapati Bhawan in New Delhi on Wednesday, presented separate gifts to her.
The legislators from BJD, Congress and BJP congratulated Murmu, who belongs to Mayurbhanj district of Odisha, on her election as 15th President of the country. They also felicitated her during the meeting and presented an artefact of Lord Jagannath.
Later, 24 MLAs were taken on a tour of the Rashtrapati Bhawan and Mughal Garden and took a group photo with the President.
Speaking to media persons after the meeting, BJP legislator Bishnu Sethi said he presented a photo frame of his poem dedicated to the President and also recited a few lines from it to her.
Congress MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati, who gifted a Kotpad saree to Murmu, said he had developed a personal relation with Murmu when she was minister in 2000. “When she was Governor of Jharkhand, I had visited Governor’s House and she affectionately calls me ‘Bhalu Bhai’.”
Minister of Revenue and Disaster Management Department Pramila Mallik also presented a saree to the President.
Speaker Bikram Keshari Arukh said it was a great moment for all the MLAs. “She conveyed her gratitude to Odisha people for their love and affection to her and assured of looking after the interest of the state.”
BJD legislator Debi Prasad Mishra said the President informed us about architecture of Rashtrapati Bhawan and several features of traditional Indian architecture incorporated into its design.
The delegation included Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari, Government Chief Whip Prashant Kumar Muduli, Kantabanji MLA from Congress Santosh Singh Saluja and Bhubaneswar Central MLA from BJD Ananta Narayana Jena, Deputy Speaker Rajnikant Singh, Sudam Marandi, Minister Niranjan Pujari, Pratap Dev and Prashant Kumar Muduli.
