BJP Sambit Patra’s comment Puri’s Lord Jagannath is PM Modi’s bhakt sparks row
BJP Sambit Patra’s comment Puri’s Lord Jagannath is PM Modi’s bhakt sparks row
While Odisha voted for the Lok Sabha and a new assembly in the Fifth Phase of election, Sambit Patra told media personnel that Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri, “is PM Modi’s bhakt”.
This weird comment coming from the mouth of BJP stalwart Sambit Patra has not gone down well with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as he looks forward for a sixth consecutive term in the State.
When the Chief Minister shot off an angry protest on social media, Patra issued a clarification, terming it as a
“slip of tongue”.
Notedly, “Lakhs of people had gathered in Puri to have a glimpse of PM Modi.
Taking to his social media post, CM Naveen Patnaik wrote that “Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe. 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 Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world”.
The CM’s post also read that “the Lord is the greatest Symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. He strongly denounces the statement made by Patra, Puri Lok Sabha candidate and he appeals to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you Odia Asmita has been deeply hurt and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time.
Congress’s Supriya Shrinate also joined issue, posting,
“Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi… What has happened to the BJP people? Such an insult to our beloved God? this arrogance will come to an end”.
Patra clarified that he gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of PM Modi’s Road Show in Puri and everywhere he mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake in one of the bytes he pronounced just the opposite. Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue ..we all have “slip of tongue sometimes.
A post by Kerala Congress read, “Sambit Patra says that Prabhu Jagannath is a Bhakth of Modi. sambit swaraj, God sends no one away empty, except those who are full of themselves”.
Odisha Congress wrote that “according to Sambit Patra – “Modi’s bhakt is Jagannath”.. It’s a direct attack on Odia Asmita….they want Sambit to apologies with folded hands in front of National Media and Each and every citizen of Odisha. It’s very derogatory… should mind his language,”
On social media, many demanded a public apology from the BJP leader.
News Edit K.V.Raman
