Encouragement From Statesman, Says Dharmendra As Naveen Congratulates 3 Odisha Ministers In Modi Cabinet

Bhubaneswar: A day after three MPs from Odisha were inducted in Modi 3.0 Cabinet, former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Monday congratulated the three Parliamentarians and wished them success in their respective ministries.

“Wish you great success in your respective Ministries for the nation and specifically for the people of Odisha,” Naveen posted on X.

Responding to the post, Dharmendra described Naveen as a statesman and said that these words of encouragement meant a lot to him. He also assured him about his commitment to “fulfil aspirations, take forward the growth trajectory as well as realise the goal of Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat.”

Thank you for the good wishes Shri @Naveen_Odisha ji. Words of encouragement from a statesman like you means a lot. We are steadfast in our commitment to fulfil aspirations, take forward the growth trajectory as well as realise the goal of Viksit Odisha and Viksit Bharat. 🙏🙏 https://t.co/hJOh7qYncE

— Dharmendra Pradhan (मोदी का परिवार) (@dpradhanbjp) June 10, 2024

On Sunday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi retained two Union Ministers from the state – Dharmendra and Vaishnaw – in the council of ministers and brought back Jual, who was part of his cabinet in the first tenure.

This is the first time three MPs from Odisha bagged Cabinet berths in the Modi government after the BJP swept the Lok Sabha polls in state, winning 20 of the 21 Lok Sabha seats, and ousted BJD from power in the assembly election. Dharmendra and Vaishnaw were in the Cabinet in Modi’s second term while Pratap Sarangi (2019-2021) and Bishweswar Tudu (2021-2024) were ministers of state in different periods.

Jual, 63, served as the Union Cabinet Minister twice in the past. He was appointed as India’s first Union Minister for Tribal Affairs under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 1999. He got a cabinet berth again in the Narendra Modi government in 2014, when he was the sole BJP MP in Odisha. Dharmendra has served as a Union Minister in Modi’s two previous terms, handling key portfolios such as petroleum and natural gas, education and skill development. Vaishnaw, a former IAS officer, was the Railway Minister in the last government.