Jamshedpur/Bhubaneswar: Newly appointed Odisha Governor Raghubar Das Thursday asserted that he will take the state to new heights in coordination with the Naveen Patnaik government.
Thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda for nominating him for the constitutional post, the former Jharkhand chief minister said he would discharge the responsibility bestowed upon him.
“The Odisha CM is working for the welfare of the people. I will try to take the state to new heights in coordination with the government,” he said in his maiden interaction with reporters at his Jamshedpur residence after being appointed as the governor.
“Maybe because of blessings of Lord Jagannath, I have got this opportunity to serve the people of Odisha. Both Jharkhand and Odisha have cultural similarities and are mineral-rich states,” he said.
Patnaik and Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan congratulated Das on being appointed as the governor of the state.
“… Looking forward to working with him towards the state’s development and people’s welfare. Wish him a successful tenure,” Patnaik posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Congratulating Das on his new appointment, Pradhan posted on X, “His experience and administrative capabilities will be beneficial for the prosperity and well-being of people of Odisha. I wish him a successful tenure in fulfilling aspirations and serving Odisha.”
Das will replace Professor Ganeshi Lal, whose tenure ended in May this year.
Das, the first non-tribal chief minister of Jharkhand from 2014 to 2019, was born on May 3, 1955 at Bhalubasa in Jamshedpur. His father worked as a labourer.
He had completed his schooling from Bhalubasa Harijan High School and earned a degree in law after graduating in science.
His political career began with the student movement of 1976-77 and he was jailed during emergency. He became a member of the Janata Party in 1977 but later joined the BJP.
In 2004, he was appointed as the BJP state president of newly formed Jharkhand. He became a minister of the state for the first time in the Babulal Marandi government and again in the subsequent two governments led by Arjun Munda. He was the deputy chief minister in the Shibu Soren government in 2009.
PTI
