Former PM Deve Gowda praises Naveen

Bhubaneswar: Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda today praised Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for his leadership qualities, particularly in the face of adversities.

"Patnaik is an efficient leader and his ability to manage situations during natural calamities is commendable," Gowda, who arrived here to attend a programme at Puri tomorrow, said.

He said Patnaik has managed calamities even without any help from the Centre which is "praiseworthy".

Gowda is scheduled to attend a meeting at Govardhan Peeth of Sankaracharya Nischalanand Saraswati.