The camaraderie between two Chief Ministers – Jayalalithaa and Naveen Patnaik – was evident as they praised each other at the laying of foundation stone for the Odisha Bhavan.
Mr Patnaik remembered his father and two-time Odisha Chief Minister Biju Patnaik, after his visit to Chennai in the early 90s, telling him that Ms Jayalailthaa was an able and excellent administrator.
In her speech, Ms Jayalalithaa described Biju Patnaik as a father figure and said he left behind a legacy of respect, cooperation and mutual affection that continued in the bond she shared with his son, Mr [Naveen] Patnaik.
She commended the present Odisha Chief Minister for inspiring the degree and level of confidence that his father commanded.
Mr Patnaik spoke of his government's Mamata scheme to help expectant mothers while she mentioned about the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy scheme.
“We think alike and we are implementing similar schemes in both our great States,” she said.
Ms Jayalalithaa hosted a lunch for Mr Patnaik. Later, they met for about an hour at the Poes Garden, the residence of Ms Jayalalithaa.
To a query, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said it was up to the Union Home Ministry to accept or not the suggestion for constituting a sub-committee on the proposed National Centre for Counter Terrorism.
