Puri: National BJP spokesperson and party’s Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra has announced 3-day “upvaas” (fasting) to atone for his ‘slip of tongue’, calling Lord Jagannath a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In late night video message, Patra said that he was deeply troubled over his mistake and bowed down at the feet of Mahaprabhu Jagannath, begging for forgiveness. “After Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Puri, I gave byte to many media channels and everywhere I said the same thing that PM Modi is an ardent devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannath… Amid this, unknowingly, while giving byte to a news channel, I said the opposite, that Mahaprabhu is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I have made this mistake unintentionally, it’s a slip of the tongue. I pray to the Lord to forgive me for the mistake that was made unintentionally… I need to seek forgiveness from Mahaprabhu Jagannath for this slip of the tongue. As penance for my sin, I will fast for the next three days,” he said.
The BJP leader had faced fierce backlash from political rivals for his media byte after PM’s roadshow on Bada Danda (Grand Road) at Puri. Though he clarified that it was a slip of tongue, the remark provided enough ammunition to BJD to hit back at the saffron party which has made ‘Odia Asmita’ its poll plank.
The reaction from Naveen Patnaik was swift and sharp. Condemning Patra’s statement in a scathing social media post, he said that such remarks insult the sanctity of ‘Mahaprabhu’ Jagannath and hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees. He urged the BJP to refrain from dragging the deity into political discourse.
“Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannath bhaktas and Odias across the world. The Lord is the greatest symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate and appeal to BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time.”
Speaking to ANI, BJD leader V K Pandian said: “…BJP is talking about Odia Asmita and Lord Jagannath is the symbol of Odia Asmita. CM Naveen Patnaik has always felt that we should keep our Gods outside politics. They are immortal and we are mortal, why we should mix both?…He felt hurt when this statement was given. He (Naveen Patnaik) is genuinely upset that Lord Jagannath has been dragged into this election so much. People of Odisha don’t like dragging religion or Mahaprabhu Jagannath in the elections… It is not the first time, it has happened. They did the same in the 2019 Panchayat Elections, they always link something or the other with religion, Lord Jagannath…BJP is trying to electorally hit BJD and Naveen Patnaik by finding out something or the other, which are non-existent issues. It is a political strategy they are trying to do…”
The Congress also shared a video of Sambit Patra speaking in Odia and slammed his remark on a local TV news channel, demanding that Prime Minister Modi apologise for the comment.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said it reinforces “our charge that a BJP, drunk with power, will not even spare our Gods, let alone India’s people”. “The comments made by BJP’s Puri candidate is an insult to Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha revered by crores of people. We condemn it in the strongest possible words… On June 4th, this arrogance shall be destroyed by ‘Will of the People’,” Kharge wrote on X.
Criticising the BJP’s perceived arrogance, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that such statements indicate a dangerous level of self-aggrandisement within the party. “When the Prime Minister starts considering himself as an emperor and the courtiers start considering him as God, then it is clear that the downfall of the Lanka of sin is near. Who gave a handful of BJP people the right to hurt the sentiments of crores of people? This ego is becoming the cause of their destruction,” Rahul Gandhi posted in Hindi on X.
AICC in-charge of Odisha Ajoy Kumar also condemned the statement. “The country and Odisha will not tolerate this insult of Lord Jagannath! Will the media ask any question to Sambit Patra? Where are those journalists with the 7 pm agenda? Where have those Hindutva organisations gone,” he said.
The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) also lodged a formal complaint, alleging that Patra’s statement was a deliberate attempt to insult religious sentiments. They accused him of violating the model code of conduct and called for strict action.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “I strongly condemn this statement of BJP. They have started thinking that they are above God. This is height of arrogance. Calling God bhakt of Modi ji is an insult to God.”
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