Lok Sabha Elections 2024 | Lord Jagannath, a missing key & all things divine 'in fray' as BJP, BJD vie for Puri

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra who gave a spirited fight to BJD heavyweight Pinaki Mishra in 2019 before losing at the last round, has once again been fielded by the saffron party. Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik will take on Patra.

Puri: The missing key of a treasure trove, a slip of the tongue from a BJP leader known for his television speeches and a Rs 800 crore developmental project have pitchforked the world famous Puri temple in the middle of an intense electoral battle in the culturally most sensitive Lok Sabha seat in Odisha with two leading parties leaving no stone unturned to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath.

BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra who gave a spirited fight to BJD heavyweight Pinaki Mishra in 2019 before losing at the last round, has once again been fielded by the saffron party. Former Mumbai Police Commissioner Arup Patnaik, who lost from Bhubaneswar last time and was given a second chance by BJD will take on Patra.

Days before the poll, Prime Minister Narenddra Modi resurrected a sentimental issue for most Odias when he blamed Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for the missing key of the Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple, an issue that immediately struck a chord with people across the state.

He also blamed the BJD government for not disclosing a report on the missing key.

The Ratna Bhandar, a storehouse of jewellery, ornaments and other valuables was last opened in April 2018 when a 16 member team including specialists from Archaeological Survey of India inspected the premise. They could see only the external chamber of the treasury as keys to the internal chamber were missing.

“This is a dacoity of God's own treasure,” Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said at a rally at Banapur on Thursday. Union Home Minister Amit Shah too brought up the issue, which remained an emotive one in the coastal state for a long time.

However, BJP’s plan to gain political mileage from the Ratna Bhandar controversy suffered a setback when Patra made a goof-up by claiming Lord Jagannath is Modi Bhakt, prompting immediate backlash not from his political opposition but from common people.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik strongly condemned Patra’s statement and appealed to BJP to keep Lord Jagannath above the political discourse. In a social media post, he criticised Patra for hurting Odia 'asmita' (pride).

"Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a 'bhakt' of another human being is an insult to the Lord... it is totally condemnable. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” he said.

The BJP leader subsequently claimed it was a slip of the tongue and gave full page advertisements in newspapers expressing regret for such an inadvertent comment. He also declared he would observe a three day fast as an act of atonement. But the damage has been done.

On the last day of campaign, he began his final road show on Bada Danda – the arterial road in front of the 10th century temple, once again after seeking the blessings of the Lord.

Naveen Patnaik’s per project of creating a heritage corridor around the temple for people to do a parikrama also drew saffron criticism as it involved demolition of heritage structures and shops around the temple.

“People were given money and asked to leave. What can they do against the government’s might,” noted a servitor of the temple.

BJD candidate Arup Patnaik pointed out that the project was undertaken after obtaining a clearance from the Supreme Court. Locals around the temple brushed aside the politics and noted that footfalls increased after the corridor was inaugurated.

Puri Lok Sabha constituency will go for the vote on May 25. And Lord Jagannath will matter even in the election.