BHUBANESWAR: Putting an end to the Opposition attack over his presumed absence from the Assembly during the vital budget session, sources in the Chief Ministers Office have said that Naveen Patnaik will be back from his foreign trip in time to be present both at the Rath Yatra in Puri on July 1 and during presentation of the budget on July 2.
The Chief Minister is set to leave on a 13-day visit abroad on Saturday and return on June 30. Earlier, it was said he would be leaving on his foreign trip in June last week, prompting the Opposition BJP to target him over his absence from the Assembly during presentation of the budget.
According to reliable sources, Naveen will leave Bhubaneswar for New Delhi at 1:30 pm on June 18. He will depart for Rome at 4:15 pm on June 20. State 5T Secretary VK Pandian will accompany the Chief Minister during the foreign trip.
During his Italy visit, Naveen is likely to meet the Pope besides attending a programme of the World Food Programme (WFP). He will travel to Dubai from Rome on June 26 where he is scheduled to attend an investors' meet to be organised by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI).
He is expected to leave Dubai for New Delhi on June 30. The same night, he will return to Bhubaneswar. He will attend the Rath Yatra at Puri on July 1 and be in the House the next day during budget presentation.
This will be Naveen's second foreign tour in 22 years in power in the State. In his previous trip, the Chief Minister had been to London on May 24, 2012. However, he had to rush back to Odisha because of an attempted coup in the BJD on May 29. Though the revolt was effectively crushed, Naveen had refrained from undertaking any foreign tour since.