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Patnaik invites CMs for hockey event in Odisha
All three Congress chief ministers—Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh—are likely to attend the event
New Delhi: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president Naveen Patnaik has invited several chief ministers, from across the political spectrum, for the inaugural event of the FIH Hockey World Cup to be held in Rourkela, people aware of the matter said.
All three Congress chief ministers—Ashok Gehlot of Rajasthan, Bhupesh Baghel of Chhattisgarh and Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of Himachal Pradesh—are also set to attend the event. “They have received the invitation from Patnaik and three of them have confirmed they will attend,” a Congress functionary said, requesting anonymity.
Although the occasion is the men’s hockey world cup, the Congress chief ministers accepting Patnaik’s invitation highlights a likely thaw in ties. Patnaik’s BJD has been an anti-Congress outfit and an ally of the National Democratic Alliance in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s government. It frequently supports the Narendra Modi government on key issues. From backing key government’s bills to coming out in favour of important NDA policies, Patnaik’s party has also supported BJP-backed candidates in the presidential and vice-presidential elections.
“We will not lose any opportunity to reach out to him,” the Congress functionary said. “It will be our effort to unite all possible non-BJP forces.”
To be sure, BJP chief ministers are also being invited for the event.
The Shiv Sena, once the BJP’s oldest ally, formed a coalition government in Maharashtra with the Congress in 2019, another Congress leader pointed out, declining to be named. The coalition government toppled in June after a vertical spilt in the Shiv Sena.
The event will see other Opposition chief ministers as well, who have kept the possibility open to work with the BJD. West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Telangana chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar are expected to be present at the inaugural event, apart from their BJP counterparts.
Odisha’s sports and youth affairs minister Tusharkanti Behera and Hockey India president Dilip Tirkey, a former BJD MP, has invited at least four union ministers—Anurag Thakur, Ashwini Vaishnav, Kiren Rijiju and Dharmendra Pradhan—to the event, a BJP leader said.
