'Attempt to make N'kalebar fest as Naveen Yatra'

There is an attempt to make the Nabakalebar Rath Yatra as a ‘Naveen Yatra’,” alleged senior BJP leader Bijay Mohapatra here on Friday.Briefing mediapersons here, Mohapatra said the Naveen Patnaik-led Government has made a fun of the festival by committing a gamut of mistakes from the day one of the festival to till date. Ministers have made serious breach in tradition during the Banjaga Yatra to make their party’s presence felt, he said.

“We will not let the BJD continue its drama of breaching secret and sacred traditions of the Jagannath Temple in Puri. The Government-directed drama will not get an audience anymore,” said Mohapatra.

He said the BJP had demanded a judicial probe into the Brahma Parivartan issue, a statement from the CM and dismissal of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) chief Suresh Mohapatra, but the Government is yet to take any remarkable step to punish the culprits involved in the Brahma Parivartan fiasco.

Mohapatra also alleged that CM’s office is the main culprit of all disorders. “Why is the Chief Minister keeping mum in the serious issue of Brahma ParivartanIJ” he asked, adding, “Media reported that the CM reprimanded the DGP for touching Daitapatis’ feet while wearing uniform. I can say it was a planted story for the CM’s damage control exercise.”

He said the Government betrayed its ignorance in the Brahma Parivartan fiasco by just saying that the administration had no scope to know what was going on in the temple premises on June 15-16. “If the Government is innocent, can it give an order to check mobile details of bureaucrats of the Third Floor of the State Secretariat, the SJTA chief and Daitapatis on the controversial night,” he questioned.

He demanded publication of details of all expenditures for the Nabakalebar festival. He said the Government would get exposed when the expenditure details come to the public domain.  On BJP’s Shree Jagannath Sanskruti Suraksha Yatra, Mohapatra said the mission is getting spontaneous public support everywhere in the State. The Government is jealous about the Yatra’s success; so it has planned to begin an “inauguration Yatra” in Puri.