New Delhi/Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, who is on a four-day Delhi tour, is scheduled to meet President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.
According to sources, the CM along with his deputies – KV Singhdeo and Pravati Parida – will call on the President at 1 pm and then PM Modi at 4.30 pm. They are scheduled to meet Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar at 7 pm.
Besides discussing various issues related to the state, they will also invite them for Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.
The trio will also be meeting Union Ministers, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari and Dharmendra Pradhan later in the day, the sources added.
This is Majhi’s maiden trip to Delhi after assuming charge as chief minister of the first BJP government in Odisha on June 12.
Notably, the CM and his deputies had rushed to the national capital after receiving a call from the PMO on Wednesday. “The Prime Minister has desired to meet the CM and the two Deputy CMs. We are leaving for New Delhi this evening as the meeting with the Prime Minister has been fixed on Thursday,” KV told reporters.
He added that they would discuss the roadmap with the PM to ensure faster growth of Odisha under the double-engine government.
It was speculated that the discussions could centre around development of the state and implementation of the promises made in the BJP’s election manifesto, including Subhadra Yojana and procurement of paddy at Rs 3,100 per quintal, as these require huge provisioning. The Modi-led Centre is likely to help steer the wheels of its first government in Odisha with most leaders having little experience of governance and help in its smooth running.
This meeting ahead of Rath Yatra also assumes significance since it will be the first major event of the BJP government in the state and smooth conduct of the annual festival of the Lords will be a litmus test for Majhi.
They may also meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP national president and Union Health Minister JP Nadda during their stay in the national capital till June 29.
