Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi Friday linked the Trinamool Congress’s crushing defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections at the hands of the BJP to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s “arrogance” and misuse of the ‘Dham’ tag for a Jagannath temple at Digha in the neighbouring state.
Addressing a press conference on the occasion of the BJP completing two years in office in Odisha, Majhi also asserted that his government would take appropriate measures over ISKCON holding untimely Rath Yatra across the world.
“Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had worked with arrogance and attempted to misuse the name of ‘Jagannath Dham’. Lord Jagannath tolerates everything, but not arrogance. This has happened in the case of Mamata Banerjee and the government changed,” Majhi said in reply to a question.
Majhi said he had campaigned during the West Bengal elections and got the opportunity to discuss the Digha “Jagannath Dham” issue with BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who later became the chief minister, on different occasions.
“He (Adhikari) had agreed to drop the Dham tag from the Digha temple. As soon as I sent a letter, he accepted it promptly,” Majhi said.
Adhikari announced June 9 that the West Bengal government would remove the insignia ‘Dham’ from the state-funded Jagannath Temple and cultural activity premises in Digha, which was inaugurated by former CM Mamata Banerjee in April last year.
Stating that his government is committed to upkeep “Odia Asmita” (Odia pride), Majhi said that the Puri Jagannath temple is among the four “Dhams” for Sanatani Hindus.
People were severely hurt when Banerjee “misused” it, he claimed.
Majhi said, “Some people are against our religion. They attempt to break our traditions and culture. ISKCON has been engaging in several works which have been objected to by both Shankaracharya and the Gajapati Maharaja of Puri. Shree Jagannath Temple Administration has also objected to ISKCON’s untimely Rath Yatra.”
Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb is the titular king of Puri and considered the first servitor of the Jagannath temple.
“The state government will take whatever steps are required for the protection of Odia Asmita and Jagannath culture,” Majhi said.
Earlier, Deb had alleged that the ISKCON organised untimely Rath Yatra programmes in 70 countries.
He has also written to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking their intervention in the deviation being done by ISKCON.
PTI
