Bhubaneswar: Amid the raging controversy over her recent visit to Puri Jagannath Temple, social media influencer Kamiya Jani on Sunday released a video clarifying the ‘beef promoter’ allegation.
“The objective behind my visit to Jagannath Temple in Puri was to seek blessing of the deities and also inform people about the ongoing infrastructural development there. It is unfortunate that my visit has snowballed into a controversy. I understand that the temple authorities have some rules. I want to clarify that I haven’t broken any rule. I am a practising Hindu. I have neither consumed beef nor promoted it,” she posted on Instagram.
Jani, who is the founder of Curly Tales, a platform boasting content of food and travel, also pointed out the real facts of the Kerala video, the screenshots of which are being used to dub her as a ‘promoter of beef consumption.” She said that the video mentions about the history of beef curry, at a eatery discovered by truck drivers and which went on to become a speciality there. “Since I am not a beef eater, I had appam, pazham pori and kadala curry and also mentioned about the price of the dishes at the end of the video,” she said.
She further said that though she mentions about different cuisines in her vlogs, ‘but it is not like I eat them all’.
“This might be a misunderstanding. And I hope that this clarification will put an end to it,” she added.
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However, the BJP, which had accused Jani of being a beed eater and promoter, seemed in no mood to accept her clarification. “There was beef on her table. It is not about whether she consumed it or not. She is seen promoting beef and so, how can such a person be allowed to enter the revered shrine in Puri?” Dhamnagar MLA Suryavanshi Suraj questioned.
He also targeted bureaucrat-turned-politician VK Pandian, who hosted Jani, for facilitating her visit without a proper background check
The saffron party had earlier demanded registration of a case against them under IPC Section 295 A for hurting religious sentiment of people.
The BJD, on the other hand, accused the BJP of spreading lies. The ruling party also clarified that Jani had taken ‘Mahaprasad’ at Radha Ballav ‘Mutt’ (monastery) and no camera was allowed inside the temple premises. “Let Lord Jagannath bless the BJP leaders to overcome their narrow mindset,” a BJD statement said while accusing the saffron party of becoming intolerant over the development of the temple.
BJD Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj also questioned the BJP’s opposition to Jani’s visit to Jaganath temple with its top leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, giving a thumbs up on her videos on Char Dham and Ayodhya Ram Temple.
The video shot in Puri highlighted Jagannath culture and also featured Pandian speaking on the importance of ‘Mahaprasad’, the ongoing heritage corridor project and other aspects linked to temple development.
