Naveen to accept Russian Embassy's honour to father Biju Patnaik

Bhubaneswar, May 6 (PTI) Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly and BJD president Naveen Patnaik will accept the Russian Embassy's honour to his father Biju Patnaik for his contribution in the 'Stalingrad Operation' during World War II.

Patnaik left for the national capital on Tuesday to attend functions marking celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Russia's victory over Nazism in World War II.

An official statement released by the office of the Leader of Opposition said that Patnaik will attend the two-day event at the Russian Embassy on both May 7 and 9.

On May 9, Patnaik will accept the Russian Embassy's honour to his father Biju Patnaik for his contribution in the 'Stalingrad Operation' during World War II.

Russia's Ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, has invited Patnaik to attend the event in the national capital as Guest of Honour on May 9, which is observed as Victory Day in Russia to mark the defeat of Nazi Germany.

Alipov, in a letter to Patnaik, said, "Among the heroes who we pay tribute to is your late father, Honourable Shri Biju Patnaik ji, a towering personality and a valiant pilot of the Indian National Airways, who had participated in the Stalingrad Operation, supplying weapons to the besieged Red Army." The Battle of Stalingrad, which took place from July 1942 to February 1943, marks the successful Soviet defence of the city of then Stalingrad during World War II.

The letter said Russia will honour those "who stood together against Nazism in anti-Hitler coalition, and commemorate the heroic deeds of the people of the former Soviet Union and its allies, who bore the brunt of the most brutal conflict in human history." External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar will be the Chief Guest at the event on May 9.

In a separate letter to Patnaik, Russian Embassy Counsellor Elena Remizova said: "This year all over the world the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory in WWII will be celebrated widely. On fronts of that war, Russian and Indian soldiers and civilians shoulder to shoulder fought against German Nazism, Italian fascism and Japanese militarism." "On this great occasion this year we will open the marble plaque with the names of Indians, who took part in WWII and were awarded by orders and medals by Soviet/Russian government. Your esteemed father Bijayananda Patnaik ji was one of these heroes, and we have commemorated his name on the plaque," she said in the letter.

It said that the Embassy will be very grateful if Patnaik could take part in the opening ceremony along with Ambassador of Russia to India Denis Alipov on May 7 at the venue of the Russian House in India.

Biju Patnaik was the chief minister of Odisha for two terms — from 1961 to 1963 and again from 1990 to 1995. He died on April 17, 1997. PTI AAM RBT AAM RG