Orissa chief minister and Biju Janata Dal supremo Naveen Patnaik will attend the launch of the Bharat Suraksha Yatra, being taken out by Bharatiya Janata Party president Rajnath Singh from Bhubaneshwar on Thursday.

"Patnaik has been requested by our party leaders Wednesday afternoon and he has given his consent to attend the meeting," state BJP president Jual Oram told PTI.

"Yes, he is going to attend the meeting," an official in the chief minister's office said.

The BJP president, along with top party leaders, including former party chief M Venkaiah Naidu, Vijay Goel and Oram, had called on Patnaik at his residence.

The BJD, which projects itself as a 'secular' party, had expressed reservations to be associated with such type of yatras on more than one occasion. "The party has so far not decided to support or take part in the yatra," BJD secretary general Damodar Rout said. "I have no idea if the chief minister is attending the programme."

Also read:

• Blog - On the road with the yatra
• The BJP's twin yatras