Suspension of Odisha Jagannath temple servitor escalates TMC-BJP row in Bengal
'Priests at Hindu temples are above political interference. Rajesh Daitapati's only fault seems to be his presence at a temple built by Mamata Banerjee. This action is a proof of the BJP's narrow thinking,' TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said.
Majumdar said 'the unjust disciplinary action against a high ranking servitor is clearly a manifestation of the political diktats of the BJP government in Odisha. It hurts the sentiments of millions of Hindu devotees. The Daitapatis of Puri Jagannath temple are respected by all'.
Dasmohapatra, popularly known as Rajesh Daitapati, was suspended for 30 days by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Sunday. The suspension came days after the administration asked him to explain why he supervised the ceremony to consecrate the new Jagannath temple built by the Mamata Banerjee government at the beach town of Digha in East Midnapore district on April 30.
Banerjee's government has built the temple as a cultural centre and handed over its operation to Iskon.
The chief minister, who spent two days in Digha in connection with the ceremony, has been criticised by the Bengal BJP for calling the temple Jagannath Dham., a point that has been subsequently echoed by Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi as well.
The decision by SJTA to suspend the servitor is seen as an escalation of the row that erupted after Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan alleged that Rajesh Daitapati carried sacred neem wood from the temple in Puri to Digha for artisans to make the Jagannath idols.
On May 5, Harichandan acknowledged that no timber from the temple had been shipped out.
To be sure, the Bengal BJP welcomed the suspension of the servitor. 'I welcome this decisive action in light of his unethical involvement in the Digha Jagannath Cultural Centre controversy,' said BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Bengal assemlby, in a post on X.
'He got influenced by Mamata Banerjee and provided unauthorized guidance for the replication of Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham's sacred rituals and traditions, which later led to absolutely inappropriate misleading campaign by the local administration, by projecting the Digha Cultural Center as a site which would rival the Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham,' Adhikari said.
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