'Never saw him visiting Shankaracharya': BJP on Patnaik meeting Pope

June 27, 2022 23:55

Raising questions on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's meeting with Pope in Vatican City, senior BJP MLA Jaynarayan Mishra on Monday said he was never seen visiting Shankaracharya in Puri.

Speaking to reporters, he said he will raise the issue in the monsoon session of the assembly, which will begin on July 2.

"If he visited Italy with public money, why did he go there and what did he achieve in return? What was the necessity to meet the Pope standing in a queue? We have never seen him meeting Shankaracharya in Puri," Mishra said.

He said as the opposition party, the BJP has the right to know why Patnaik met Pope.

"What is his relation with the Pope? Pope is not head of any nation," Mishra pointed out.

"If Naveen-babu wants to make any attempt to make Odisha a Christian state, we will strongly protest such a move," he added.

BJD MLA SB Behera said though Pope was not head of any state, but he is revered more than any leader in the world.

"What is wrong in meeting Pope and getting the support of the Christian population? If this meeting creates a positive impact in the world for Odisha, the chief minister took the right decision," he said.

Patnaik, who is on an 11-day tour to Italy and Dubai, met Pope Francis in Vatican City on June 22. The chief minister presented a 'Patachitra' painting to him.

The chief minister is scheduled to return to Odisha on June 30. -- PTI

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