Ashwini Vaishnaw, Dharmendra Pradhan seek Lord Jagannath’s blessings in Odisha’s Puri

BHUBANESWAR: With ‘elder brother’ and Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan by his side, rising star Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday arrived in Odisha for the first time since his elevation to the Narendra Modi cabinet. The Union ministers together went to the Jagannath Temple in Puri to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath, the political symbolism of which could be felt far and wide.
On their first visit to the state after the latest cabinet reshuffle in July, the Union minsters boarded the same flight from Delhi and headed to Puri by road in the same vehicle. The ‘togetherness’ removing confusion in the mind of party workers as to who is more prominent in the state BJP.
Later, speaking to the media at the party office here, Vaishnaw termed Dharmendra as ‘bada bhai (elder brother). Talking about the reshuffle, he said, “An ordinary party worker like me was given a big responsibility. Our elder brother Dharmendra Pradhan was given the crucial education ministry and that of skill development. We both went for darshan of Lord Jagannath and sought his blessings for all-round development of Odisha.”
Vaishnaw, a Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha, has been given charge of the rail ministry as well as communications, electronics & information technology. “PM Modi ji is seeking blessings of all 4.5 crore people of Odisha through me, through us,” the former bureaucrat said, adding, “For the first time Prime Minister Modi has given representation to SCs, STs, OBCs, women and all the marginalised sections of the society.” The ministers took the blessings of the sibling deities from outside the temple since the 12th century shrine is still closed for people from outside Puri owing to the Covid situation.
On their way to Puri, the ministers visited Bakula Bana Vidyalaya, a school established by social reformer Gopabandhu Das, known as Utkal Mani (jewel of Odisha). “I was aspiring to visit this place, the epicentre of renaissance in Odisha, since I took over as education minister,” Dharmendra said.
The ministers were greeted by party workers at dozen-odd places on their way as part of the saffron party’s ‘Jan Ashirwad Yatra.’ Later in the evening, Vaishnaw boarded a special coach attached to Bhubaneswar-Rayagada Hirakhand express train for Rayagada, 500 km from the state capital.
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