Gita Mehta was the lone member of the Biju Patnaik family to witness her younger brother Naveen Patnaik taking oath as the Chief Minister for the fourth term at the Raj Bhavan here on Wednesday.
“I congratulate Odisha for having a great Chief Minister,” 71-year-old Gita told reporters.
An eminent writer and author, Gita, seated in the audience, put on broad smiles during the swearing-in ceremony of Naveen and his Ministerial team. After all, she has observed Papu (Naveen’s nickname) growing from a child to a 67-year-old man now.
When Naveen entered into politics after Biju Patnaik’s demise in 1997, America-based Gita was his emotional support. This support of hers for bachelor brother further increased after their mother Gyan Patnaik’s death later. Having no political ambition on her part, she, according to insiders, takes care of Naveen like a mother whenever she visits Delhi or Bhubaneswar.
When on May 29, 2012 Naveen’s principal advisor Pyarimohan Mohapatra allegedly made a move to dislodge him from power, it was Gita who continuously talked to him providing him the much-needed emotional support, according to sources. She was all along not comfortable about Mohapatra’s style of functioning. It may be pointed out that Naveen’s elder brother Prem Patnaik hardly visits Odisha.