Bhubaneswar: Ananta Charan Behera went to his former workplace, the Odisha Assembly, Thursday to have a glimpse of President Droupadi Murmu, but was utterly surprised when she spotted him in the crowd and called him by his name.
Behera, a retired grade IV employee, was posted as a ‘jamadar’ in Murmu’s office when she was the commerce and transport minister during the BJP-BJD coalition government in the state from 2000 to 2004.
He was waiting amidst the crowd when Murmu was coming out of room no 11, which used to be her office in the assembly when she was the minister.
“Ananta, how are you? What are your son and daughter doing now?” Murmu asked Behra after spotting him.
He replied, “I am all right by the blessings of god. My son and daughter are married, and I have retired from service.”
An elated Behera said it was a “lifetime achievement” for him that the president of India knows him by his name.
“I was stunned hearing my name from her. She called me by name in the presence of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, a group of ministers and many other VIPs,” he later told reporters.
Asked how Murmu knew about his family, he said, “Madam knows everything. She knows I have a son and a daughter. I had sent her an invitation card during their marriages. But, she could not come due to other work.”
Behra claimed he was very close to Murmu when she was a minister.
“Then, the salaries of MLAs and ministers used to be paid in cash, and I used to collect it from the accounts section on behalf of madam. I was her trusted employee,” he said.
“Madam has not changed at all in the last 20 years. She carries the same smile and way of talking. She loves all her employees, including me. I am proud of her,” he added.
PTI