Bhubaneswar. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and party candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, Sambit Patra, who is embroiled in controversy over the “slip of the tongue” on Lord Jagannath, has apologized after facing criticism from various sections and will fast for three days from Tuesday to repent. has announced.
Speaking to television channels on Monday, Patra had said that the state’s revered deity, “Lord Jagannath, is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” Patra had later clarified that it was just a slip of the tongue and he wanted to say that the Prime Minister is a staunch ‘devotee’ of Lord Jagannath. Patra said on the social media platform ‘X’, “…for this mistake, I bow my head at the feet of Lord Jagannath and apologize. I will fast for the next three days to atone for this mistake.” The controversy over Patra’s remarks escalated when Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patel strongly condemned his statement and appealed to the BJP not to drag Lord Jagannath into politics.
Patnaik, in a post on the social media platform ‘X’, criticised Patra for hurting Odia ‘identity’. He said in the post, “Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a ‘devotee’ of a human being is an insult to the Lord… It is completely reprehensible. This has hurt the sentiments and hurt the faith of crores of Jagannath devotees and Odia people across the world.” Patnaik said, “The Lord is the biggest symbol of Odia identity. I strongly condemn this statement… and I appeal to the BJP not to involve the Lord in any political discussion. By doing this, you have deeply hurt Odia identity and the people of Odisha will not forget this for a long time.” Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also condemned Patra’s statement.
He said in a post on ‘X’, “The comments made by the BJP candidate from Puri are an insult to Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath, revered by crores of people. We condemn this in the strongest terms. This strengthens our allegation that the BJP, intoxicated with power, will not spare not only the people of India but even our gods. With the will of the people, this arrogance will be shattered on June 4.” Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned the statement of the BJP candidate.
He posted on ‘X’, “I strongly condemn this statement of the BJP leader. They have started thinking that they are above God. This is the height of ego. Calling God a devotee of Modi ji is an insult to God.” Meanwhile, Congress candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat Jayanarayan Patnaik has also filed a complaint against Patra at the Town police station in Puri.
The ruling Trinamool Congress in West Bengal said Patra’s “condemnable” statement had hurt the sentiments of millions of people across the country. West Bengal minister and senior party leader Chandrima Bhattacharya said in a video message, “The people of Odisha and Bengal will teach him and his party BJP a lesson for this condemnatory comment.”