Orissa chief minister and Biju Janata Dal president Naveen Patnaik, along with two of his senior Cabinet colleagues, on Saturday skipped the Winter Session of the Assembly to attend a political rally at Hinjili, his Assembly constituency in Ganjam district.
This evoked sharp reactions from the Congress leaders who alleged that the chief minister was not serious to discuss matters of urgency in the House and, instead, was interested in politicking to outdo the effects of public opinion building up against his government’s “involvement” in fraudulent land grabbing.