BJD, Cong slam govt over delay in forming Puri temple governing body; BJP hits back | Bhubaneswar News
Bhubaneswar: Opposition BJD and Congress on Wednesday criticised the govt over the delay in constituting the managing committee (MC) of Puri Jagannath Temple. The 18-member apex decision-making body of the shrine completed its three-year term on Sept 3, 2024.Puri BJD MLA Sunil Mohanty said he raised the issue in the assembly recently. “Rath Yatra is around the corner. Darshan system in the temple is in chaos. Devotees are suffering. The managing committee, whose primary task is to ensure smooth functioning of the temple, is yet to be formed. Govt has no commitment to the temple,” Mohanty said.Senior Congress member Niranjan Patnaik also voiced his concerns. “Mahaprabhu Jagannath is the soul of Odisha. For the past eight months, the Jagannath Temple has been functioning without a governing body. Since the end of the previous committee’s tenure, state govt has remained silent. This is not a minor lapse — it is a serious neglect of ‘Odia Asmita’ and the faith of millions of Jagannath devotees across the world,” said Patnaik, a former minister.Congress’s Bhubaneswar district president Biswajit Dash urged chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi to instruct the law department for swift formation of the temple managing committee. “We will hit the streets if the managing committee is not formed at the earliest,” Dash said.BJP member and former MLA (Puri), Jayanta Kumar Sarangi, advised against politicising the issue. “There should not be any politics on Lord Jagannath. Govt is committed for the development of the temple. Govt will soon form the managing committee,” he said.Puri collector and temple’s deputy chief administrator, Siddharth Shankar Swain, told TOI on Tuesday that “due official process has already been started for the formation of the managing committee”.“Hectic lobbying by several servitors to get nominated into the committee has delayed the entire process. Govt should immediately finalise the names of the committee members,” D R Pratihari, a servitor, claimed.Absence of a managing committee for eight months has resulted in delays addressing various temple matters, including rituals and financial issues.
