Puri: With anger mounting after the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) informed the Orissa High Court that the Odisha government did not take its permission for the Puri Heritage Corridor project, BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra arrived in Puri on Wednesday, saying he won’t remain silent on the issue anymore.
“If I don’t come here and raise my voice, it will be unfair… it will be unfair to Lord Jagannath. We are all His devotees. I’m not just a politician but also a devotee of Lord Jagannath. As a devotee, it has hurt me deeply. It has hurt the entire Odia community,” he told mediapersons in Puri.
Asked what steps the BJP was planning after the ASI’s report, Patra said he had come to Puri to pray to Lord Jagannath and would do as directed by the Lord.
“The Jagannath Temple in Puri is not a structure. It’s our faith. No one should be allowed to endanger it by sending bulldozers and JCB machines near it,” he said.
The BJP leader said the ASI’s report to the HC was shocking and worrying. “Not only no permission was sought from the ASI, the report also mentions that excavation carried out by the state government for the heritage corridor may have destroyed archaeological remains at the site,” he said.
Terming the Odisha government “ziddkhor sarkar” with “kalapahadiya” mentality, Patra said, “I will pray before Lord Jagannath to give good sense to the Odisha government and also to Pinaki Mishra (BJD leader and Puri MP). This government has destroyed our heritage. I’m not going to stay silent anymore.”
After the ASI’s submission, Patra had targeted Mishra on Tuesday for “blatantly lying” in the Lok Sabha that only four toilets were being built in the protected area of the Jagannath Temple.
“Mishra kept telling the Lok Sabha that only four toilets were being constructed in the restricted zone. After the hearing in the HC, it’s clear that a massive reception centre is also being built in the protected area,” he told the mediapersons, who pointed out that information kiosks and electrical rooms were also being built in the protected zone.
Asked by reporters whether it was too late on his part to react on the issue and why didn’t he oppose the project earlier, Patra said he was never quiet on the issue since demolition and construction began. He reminded the reporters about the BJP’s protest over digging and construction around the Lingaraj Temple in Bhubaneswar. After the BJP protests, the ASI had intervened and our heritage is richer for it with the discovery of a 1,400-year-old ‘Mahishasura Mardini’ idol during excavation near the Lingaraj Temple recently, he pointed out.
“I didn’t want to politicise the Puri Heritage Corridor project. I was waiting for the ASI’s report,” he said.
When asked why didn’t the ASI intervene earlier and filed a case if the constructions were illegal, Patra said the ASI did write to the Odisha government last year, pointing out that it was illegal and should be stopped.
