Heritage Corridor Project Row: Odia Actress Varsha Trolled After ‘What Is Your Problem Aparajita Sarangi?’ Tweet

Bhubaneswar: Amid the raging controversy over alleged illegality in the implementation of the Puri Heritage Corridor Project, Odia actress Varsha Priyadarshini was trolled after she took a swipe at Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi for ‘opposing’ construction of facilities near the 12th-century Jagannath Temple.

In a series of tweets, the actress elaborated on problems being faced by women devotees in the absence of public toilets and accused her of being averse to development.

“Please don’t do politics out of it. On one hand, Badrinath and Kashi Vishwanath are being developed, but you are opposing the development of facilities for pilgrims in the temple town of Puri and Bhubaneswar’s Lingaraj area (sic),” she wrote on her unverified Twitter account.

“What is your problem, Aparajita Sarangi?” she further questioned.

Raising the issue in Parliament on April 4, Aparajita had said that the ongoing work should be stooped immediately as it violated the norms under the Ancient Monument and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1959.

She further claimed that the Odisha government continued with the construction work in prohibited areas near the shrine despite the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) issuing a letter to stop work. “Illegal this is! Isn’t it time for all of us to SAVE OUR TEMPLE?” she tweeted along with the ASI’s letter dated February 5, 2022.

Aparajita stressed that she was not against development but all such activities need to be carried out following the law of the land.

Check reactions to Varsha’s tweet:

Notably, Varsha had campaigned for the ruling BJD in the recent Municipal polls and there have been talks that the party would field her against Aparajita in the next general election in 2024.