Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader Damodar Rout Tuesday said that he was not in favour of non-Hindus entry into the Jagannath Temple in Puri as proposed by the Supreme Court.
The BJD leader while speaking to media persons said that there was no need to break the thousand-year-old tradition. This practice was prevalent even when there was no constitution and Parliament in the country. When Hindus are not allowed to enter the Mosque and the Church, then why non-Hindus should be provided access to Jagannath temple, he asked.
Coming down heavily on Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan who drew a comparison between Chhera Panhara of the trinity and the Swachh Bharat programme of the Centre, he said the statement of the BJP leader reflects his sheer impudence.
“The Union Minister had earlier said that the Nabakalebara of Narendra Modi would begin from Puri. Lord Jagannath will never tolerate such audacity,” he lamented.