Minister and BJD vice-president Damodar Rout has taken exception to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s scheduled meeting with Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan in New Delhi on Friday on the issue of tax collection from the IOCl’s Paradip Refinery.
Rout told media here on Thursday that according to protocol, a Chief Minister should not initiate a meeting with a Union Minister of State (Pradhan).
He contended that the Indian Oil Corporation limited (IOCl) has violated the agreement with the State Government on the VAT collection issue. So, the State Government should summon the IOCl to a meeting to resolve the issue.
Reacting to Rout’s contention, BJP State general secretary Prithwiraj Harichandan said it was strange that instead of advising the Chief Minister about his view regarding protocol, Rout preferred to go public in airing his stand. This indicates that the Chief Minister does hold Rout in confidence.