Bhubaneswar: Odisha Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati Tuesday visited the residence of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan here and offered his condolences on the demise of his father and veteran BJP leader Debendra Pradhan.
Accompanied by his wife Jayashree Kambhampati, the governor visited Pradhan’s house after the latter’s return to the city after completing the funeral rituals of his father at Swargadwar in Puri.
Debendra Pradhan, a veteran politician and former Union Minister died in Delhi Monday.
Governor Kambhampati was away from Odisha when the news of Debendra Pradhan’s death broke. Upon returning from his tour, he immediately visited Dharmendra Pradhan’s residence to personally convey his sympathies, an official release said.
“Debendra Pradhan was a man dedicated to his ideology and spent his life fighting for the people’s cause. I first met him during 1991-92 when he was the president of the Odisha BJP. At that time, L K Advani ji and Murli Manohar Joshi ji were leading separate yatras. We accompanied them to the Andhra Pradesh border, where we handed over the yatras to Debendra Pradhan,” Kambhampati said, recalling his association with the late leader.
He also added, “I later met him when he was the Union Minister of State for Agriculture in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was a staunch supporter of nationalism and remained committed to his ideology throughout his life. He always stood for the people and their issues.”
The governor’s visit was a gesture of solidarity and respect for the late leader, reflecting the deep personal and professional bonds they shared over the years, the release added.