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Biju Patnaik (March 5, 1916 - April 17, 1997) |
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The late Chief Minister of the state of Orissa, Bijoyananda Patnaik a.k.a Biju Patnaik is one of modern India's eminent political leaders. Born into a princely family on March 5, 1916, Biju Patnaik was an aviator in his early days. For his role in the freedom movement, Biju was imprisoned for four years. Following India's independence in 1947, Biju Patnaik became a businessman and only after about a decade or so did he venture back into the political arena. After Biju left the Congress party in the early 1970s, Indira Gandhi had him arrested and thrown into jail during the Emergency. In the 1977 elections, Biju was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Kendrapara constituency and served as Steel Minister of India. Biju's two stints as Chief Minister were sullied by charges of corruption, the bane of most developing countries. Biju Patnaik and his wife Gyan Sethi had two sons Prem Patnaik and Naveen Patnaik and a daughter Gita Mehta. Naveen Patnaik is the Chief Minister of Orissa. Gita Mehta is a well known author (Karma Cola) and lives in New York City. Biju Patnaik died on April 17, 1997. In his obituary note on Biju Patnaik, John F.Burns of the New York Times wrote: Sources: The New York Times India After Gandhi by Ramachandra Guha |
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