Kolkata: A senior leader of the West Bengal unit of the BJP Saturday accused the state government of spending Rs 42 crore from the cash-strapped state exchequer for free distribution of sweets labelled as ‘sacred Prasad’ of Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha.
Digha’s Jagannath Temple has reportedly been modelled after the iconic Shree Jagannath Dham Temple at Puri in Odisha.
State BJP general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay released a video message for the media persons, questioning the expenditure on two counts. His first objection is that such a “wasteful” expenditure from the state exchequer is happening at a time when the state government is reportedly facing a fund crunch to even meet the essential expenditure.
“Already, Rs 32 crore has been allotted for that purpose to the different district magistrates and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Instructions have been issued from the state exchequer to allot an additional amount of Rs 10 crore under this head. The state government is unable to pay dearness allowance to the state government employees. There is grave uncertainty over school jobs. This month, only, the state government has borrowed Rs 4,000 crore from the market. In such a situation, the state government is spending Rs 42 crore for free distribution of sweets labelled as ‘sacred Prasad’ of the Digha temple,” Chattopadhyay said.
His second objection is that the entire expenditure under this head is being borne by the West Bengal Housing Infrastructure Development Corporation (WBHIDCO), which is the implementing body of the Digha Jagannath Temple, which is officially mentioned in the state government’s records as Shree Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre.
“The task of WBHIDCO is to develop housing infrastructure in the state. But why is it spending behind the distribution of sweets labelled as ‘sacred prasad’? WBHIDCO authorities were forced to do this following an unwritten mandate from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Now, WBHIDCO authorities are diverting funds from other heads to meet this expenditure. WBHIDCO authorities should come clear on who gave them the mandate to bear this expenditure,” Chattopadhyay said.
Earlier this week, BJP’s Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, Amit Malviya, accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of entrusting non-Hindus to prepare and distribute sweets labelled as ‘sacred Prasad’ of the Digha temple.
He also explained why entrusting non-Hindus with the task of preparation and distribution of sweets labelled as “sacred Prasad” of Lord Jagannath was an insult to the traditional Hindu belief.
According to him, as per tradition, non-Hindus are not allowed entry into Shree Jagannath Dham Temple at Puri, a practice that is part of sanctity attached to Lord Jagannath and his traditions.
“And yet, in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, ‘prasad’ meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith! This isn’t secularism but targeted sacrilege,” Malviya said.
He also claimed that Hindus in general and the devotees of Lord Jagannath in particular were deeply hurt because of the actions on the part of the administration.
IANS
