No intention to cause embarrassment for Naveen: Gita

New Delhi, Jan 29: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s elder sister and an eminent writer Gita Mehta has  said that she did not wish to cause the Chief Minister any embarrassment by accepting the Padma Shri when elections are round the corner.

She told leading English language daily newspaper Hindustan Times that Naveen Patnaik was in her mind when she declined the honour.

She further said that she had no inclination about the nomination till she came to know about it from her husband, well known publisher, Sonny Mehta.

“I was of course thinking of my brother, not wishing to cause him any embarrassment at a sensitive time – or even face accusations that nepotism might have been brought to bear to get me the award, so with great regret I declined. It is unfortunate that I was not able to do so before my name was published, as I do not wish to seem ungrateful for the honour the Government of India wished to bestow on me,” she told Hindustan Times.

She, however, regretted the fact that she was nominated under the foreigner category, saying “I am an Indian citizen and carry no other passport or nationality”.

Notably, she was conferred the Padma Shri on the eve of the Republic Day.