Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik would not celebrate his birthday on Tuesday due to the devastating cyclone Titli and subsequent floods in the State, sources said.
Patnaik turns 72 on Tuesday.
Patnaik, the four-time Chief Minister of Odisha, was born at Cuttack on October 16, 1946.
The Chief Minister has also requested his well wishers and ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) workers and leaders not to organise any celebration tomorrow and visit his residence Naveen Niwas to greet him, the sources added.
Notably, three south Odisha districts – Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada – have battled one of the worst floods. Lakhs of people have been stranded, houses have been demolished and around 30 people have been killed. Expressing solidarity, the CM decided not to celebrate his birthday.
In 2016, Patnaik didn’t celebrate to mourn sacrifices of martyrs who fought against terrorists.
In 2015, he did not celebrate as 11 students sustained injuries when a gas-filled balloon burst when they were coming in a rally to wish him on his birthday. In 2014, Naveen did not celebrate the day for cyclone Hudhud and in 2013 for cyclone Phailin.
In 2011, the CM did not celebrate the occasion to express his solidarity with people who suffered in flood then.
In his two decades of political life, Patnaik has always kept his birthday celebration a low-key affair.
