Bhubaneswar: The Opposition on Wednesday came down heavily on the Odisha government for the unprecedented violence in Puri over dhadi darshan (queue system) for the devotees introduced by Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA).
“The incident is a clear reflection of the gross inaction of the state government and its autocratic and repressive attitude towards the devotees and their religious sentiments.” State BJP general secretary Prithviraj Harichandan said.
The Congress also came down hard on the government on this incident.
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“Any reform is carried out through a consensus, not by the bureaucratic pressure. The incident that took place in Puri today indicates that the SJTA has become the Kalapahad (a tyrant and oppressive Muslim General who had attacked the Jagannath Temple in Puri) of the 21st century. The SJTA should refrain from such oppressive measures and stop hurting the religious sentiments of the devotees and people of the state,” Congress spokesperson Satya Prakash Nayak told the media at a press briefing here.
BJD spokesperson Sulochana Das said that the temple administration had introduced the queue system on an experimental basis for the devotees for their smooth darshan of the Lords. “But the manner in which some people had protested and resorted to violence, is grossly unfortunate,” she pointed out.
