Suvendu claims Bengal govt to pass off local sweets as Jagannath temple prasad, TMC denies charge

TLeader of Opposition told reporters that instead of bringing the 'prasad' from the temple in Digha in Purba Medinipur district, the state government has tasked one designated sweet shop in every locality for preparing sweetmeats which will be sent to every household from ration shops in the name of sacred offerings from the Lord.

Kolkata: Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Friday alleged that the TMC government has made arrangements to pass off locally made sweets as prasad of the Digha Jagannath temple, and accused the administration of playing with the sentiments of Hindu devotees.

In response, the TMC termed Adhikari's comments as a 'pack of lies' and asserted that the prasad of Lord Jagannath will be sourced from the temple and arrangements have been made to send it across every locality in West Bengal.

Showing a plastic packet, the Leader of Opposition told reporters that instead of bringing the 'prasad' from the temple in Digha in Purba Medinipur district, the state government has tasked one designated sweet shop in every locality for preparing sweetmeats which will be sent to every household from ration shops in the name of sacred offerings from the Lord.

"An amount of Rs 20 has been allocated for every packet which will have two types of sweetmeats with an image of the new Jagannath temple embossed on the plastic packet. This is nothing but playing with the emotions, beliefs and sentiments of lakhs of Hindus. Please don't accept this as prasad of the Lord, this is just a public relations exercise by the anti-Hindu Mamata Banerjee government," he said.

"You accept it as an ordinary gift from the state. But please don't consider it as prasad of Lord Jagannath," he said.

Responding to the allegation, senior West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya claimed that Adhikari is trying to mislead people.

"The state has undertaken an elaborate exercise to procure prasad from the Jagannath temple and send it to everyone. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee wants none is deprived of the prasad of the Lord. One should not play politics with such initiative," she told reporters.

Echoing her, another minister and senior TMC leader Shashi Panja said Adhikari had been opposing the inauguration of the temple for political reasons.

"His claims are nothing but a pack of lies," Panja said.

TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh wondered why Adhikari did not care to visit the temple for once since its opening.

"Being the self-appointed custodian of Hindus, Suvendu has become jealous as the temple is attracting lakhs of devotees across the country every day. This shows his hypocrisy," he said.

Adhikari has been claiming that the temple inaugurated by the chief minister on April 30 is not a place of worship but a cultural complex which lacks religious sanctity.