[Watch] Odisha: Aparajita Sarangi’s Motorcade Stopped On Way To Puri; Protester Hurls Tomato

Puri: Aparajita Sarangi, BJP MP from Bhubaneswar, reached Puri along with her supporters in a motorcade on Wednesday morning. The police, however, stopped her at Kathapola and requested her to either go alone or with a few supporters for ‘darshan’ of Lord Jagannath.

She refused, came out of her vehicle and started on a ‘padyatra’ towards the temple. The administration was then forced to take her and her followers in government vehicles till Medical Square.

From there, she and her followers got down from the vehicles and walked to the temple. A youth Congress worker reportedly hurled tomatoes at her ‘padyatra’ near the temple office before running away.

Aparajita questioned why the government was afraid if irregularities had not been committed. “Which engineer or expert gave permission to dig up to 30 feet close to the temple? We need the ASI to respond. Transparency is missing. We are only worried about the temple’s safety,” she told mediapersons.

The Srimandir Banchao Abhiyan on Tuesday called off the ‘padyatra’ called by it in protest against the heritage corridor project in Puri on Wednesday. It was called off after the district collector did not grant permission for it.

The Abhiyan had planned to take out the ‘padyatra’ from Gundicha Temple to Jagannath Temple in protest against the heritage corridor.

Aparajita was scheduled to participate in the ‘padyatra’. She, however, later tweeted that she would go ahead with her Puri visit on Wednesday.