Bhubaneswar: Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama Monday said that he admired Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for winning people’s trust and respect for a long time.
The 82-year-old Buddhist monk met the chief minister at the latter’s residence near the city airport.
“Naveen Patnaik is one of the longest serving chief ministers of the country. Unlike the Zimbabwean leader (Robert) Mugabe, Patnaik came to power through election process. And more importantly, he has won people’s trust and respect. So, I admire him,” the Dalai Lama told reporters after the meeting.
Naveen, son of veteran leader Biju Patnaik, is serving as chief minister of Orissa for the fourth consecutive term and would steer the ruling Biju Janata Dal into the next Assembly elections in 2019.
Stating that the Tibetan people who have been staying here are very happy the Nobel Laureate said that the north eastern state had been very kind to Tibetans living in the Chandragiri area of Orissa’s Gajapati district.
“Happy over Dalai Lama’s praise. I am honoured that his Holiness Dalai Lama is visiting Orissa, and, it is the second time that I met him as chief minister of the state,” Naveen Patnaik said.
The Dalai Lama, who reached here on a two-day visit, was welcomed by Orissa ministers S N Patro and Achol Chandra Panda.
A large number of Tibetan people assembled at the Biju Patnaik International Airport here to welcome the spiritual leader who has come to Orissa after a gap of seven years. The Dalai Lama’s last visit to the state was in 2010. The popular monk will be honoured by a private university here tomorrow.
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA
