Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik greets former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee

Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik greeted former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on his 93rd birthday.

"Warm greetings to former Prime Minister Sri Atal Bihari Vajpayee ji on his birthday. I pray to God for his good health and long life," Patnaik tweeted.

Patnaik, who entered politics after the death of his father Biju Patnaik in 1997, was a union minister in the NDA government headed by Vajpayee.

It was under the gudiance of Vajpayee when Patnaik's regional outfit Biju Janata Dal (BJD) formed an alliance with BJP in Odisha. The BJD-BJP alliance ruled the state for about a decade from 2000 and broke just before 2009 general election.

Despite the break of alliance with BJP, Patnaik is often known to visit Vajpayee and inquire about his health condition.