Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik urged Monday the people of Odisha to light diyas (lamp), blow conch shells, beat cymbals, recite devotional hymns and perform kirtans to celebrate the inauguration of the much-awaited Temple Heritage Corridor Project in Puri, January 17. “We can participate in this festivity by lighting diyas (lamps), blowing conch shells, beating cymbals, offering prayers, reciting devotional hymns and doing kirtans at temples or our homes on the day,” Patnaik said in a video message.
With the countdown for the inauguration of the Rs 800-crore project, also known as the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa, beginning Monday with the three-day yajna on Makar Sankranti, the Odisha CM appealed to people to dedicate themselves to the devotion of Lord Jagannath. Meanwhile, in a separate development, leaders of the opposition Congress and the BJP said they are unlikely to attend the inauguration programme. Congress Legislative Party leader Narasingha Mishra said Monday he would boycott the inauguration event. “As the BJP is using the Ram temple in Ayodhya for political gains, the BJD here is using the heritage corridor project for electoral gains,” he said.
Odisha BJP unit’s president Manmohan Samal said Lord Jagannath does not belong to any particular political party. “The BJD has been using the lord for its political benefits,” Samal said. “The inauguration event of the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa is purely a party programme,” added Samal. Rejecting the allegations, BJD MLA Amar Prasad Satpathy said the inauguration of the Srimandir Parikrama Prakalpa is a religious programme. “The heritage corridor is not an event of a political party as the state government, ‘Gajapati Maharaj’ of Puri, the temple administration and the Shankaracharya are involved. The project will bring joy to devotees,” asserted Satpathy.