Oppn Walks Out Of Odisha Assembly Over Rath Yatra ‘Mismanagement’; Law Minister Retorts

Bhubaneswar: Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and Congress on Friday came down heavily on the BJP government for alleged mismanagement of Rath Yatra in Puri and walked out of Odisha Assembly disappointed over Law Minister Prithviraj Harichandan’s statement on the issue.

Initiating a debate on an adjournment motion in the Assembly, Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Rama Chandra Kadam claimed that the BJP, which came to power in the name of Lord Jagannath, attempted to cover up an incident during the ‘pahandi’ (ceremonial procession) ritual of Lord Balabhadra on July 9 when the idol fell while being moved from the chariot to Adapa Mandap of Shree Gundicha temple.

“The Law Minister’s statement was disappointing. The government also refused to form an independent committee to investigate the Rath Yatra mishap,” he said.

BJD Chief Whip Pramila Mallik said that the government is outrightly refusing to acknowledge the mishaps that happened during Rath Yatra this year. “With this attitude, they should not expect any cooperation from the Opposition,” she added.

BJD MLA Byomkesh Ray also criticised the BJP government, accusing it of treating the Rath Yatra as a party event. “We walked out of the Assembly as the Law Minister refused to acknowledged mismanagement of the annual event during which the idol of Lord Balabhadra fell face down. He is trying to hush up the matter by dubbing it as a divine act,” he told reporters.

He also pointed out the absence of both the Law Minister and the chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple during the incident. “The Chief Minister asked 3 of his ministers to rush to Puri and supervise the rituals till Niladri Bije only after the Adapa Mandap mishap. During the Naveen Patnaik regime, five ministers would be camp in Puri from the beginning of the festival to ensure smooth conduct of the rituals,” he added.

Ray also mentioned about death of a woman devotee died while pulling the chariots and lathi-charge by police to maintain law and order. “Those injured were also not provided proper treatment,” he alleged.

Responding to these allegations, the Law Minister said that disruptions in rituals of the Lords had started during the rule of the BJD. “They (BJD) raised a question but did not have the patience to hear the answer. There are thousands of instances in last many years when rituals of Lord Jagannath were violated. The previous BJD regime made all efforts to destroy Jagannath culture. In 2020, there was an attempt to halt Rath Yatra. They had closed three of the four entrance gates of the temple and lied about duplicate keys of Ratna Bhandar,” he said.

He further said BJD MLAs were not ready to hear what had happened in the last 24 years. “Rath  Yatra 2024 was conducted smoothly with the cooperation of all servitors and the blessings of Lord Jagannath. The festival was celebrated with maximum discipline and integrity. The Jagannath devotees praised the way in which it was conducted this year,” he said.