BHUBANESWAR: Members in the Assembly on Thursday, December 9, 2021, paid rich tributes to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat, his wife and 11 others who died in a helicopter crash at Coonoor in Tamil Nadu. Members observed silence for a minute in the memory of the departed souls.
Moving a condolence motion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said General Rawat had an exceptional career of over four decades of selfless service marked by exceptional gallantry. He was conferred with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, Vishisht Seva Medal and many other prestigious awards during his illustrious career.
Terming the sad demise of General Rawat and 11 other armed personnel an irreparable loss to the nation, the Chief Minister said their outstanding service to the nation will always be remembered.
Stating that the demise of general Bipin Rawat is a great loss to the country, leader of the Congress Legislature Party Narasingha Mishra said that his untimely death in the chopper crash indicates the serious failure somewhere or it may be part of a conspiracy. “If this could happen to the CDS, naturally the question arises how safe we are,” he added.
Speaker of the Assembly Surjya Narayan Patro, deputy leader of the BJP Legislature Party Bishnu Charan Sethi, Opposition Chief Whip Mohan Charan Majhi and CPM member Laxman Munda also spoke.