Naveen pays tributes to Naba

Naveen pays tributes to Naba 

• Bhubaneswar/Jharsuguda: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday paid floral tributes to slain health minister Naba Kisore Das at a Shradhanjali Sabha (memorial service) held in Jharsuguda but refrained from making any comment on Naba or the ongoing probe into his murder.

• Naveen had a brief chat with Naba's family members before he offered his tributes to his departed cabinet colleague and left Jharsuguda within minutes. Amid speculation that Naba's daughter Dipali, 27, may be fielded by BJD in an impending byelection in Jharsuguda assembly seat necessitated Naba's death, she said she and her family will continue working to fulfil her father's dream of Jharsuguda's development.

• "My father has left us. But he has left a large family of supporters and well wis- hers. Whenever I spoke in a public meeting, my father would encourage me. Though he is not physically here, I strongly believe he continues to stand behind me," she said.

• Stating that he fathers always stood for development of Jharsuguda, Dipali said, "My brother, I and our family will continue to work for what my father dreamt of. We will move forward the way he wanted us to." Dipali said she is thankful to chief minister Naveen Patnaik for standing by them in their difficult times. Naba's son Vishal, 29, said, "My sister and I will fulfil our fathers the dream of Jharsuguda's all-round development."

• Dipali was seen with Naba on various political plat- forms earlier, the most recent one being during the campaigning for byelection in Padampal assembly seat in December last year. Many ministers and senior BJD leaders recalled Naba's, contributions to Odisha's politics and development but refrained from about his murder by a policeman on January 29, the motive of which is r to be confirmed by the Crime Branch.