There have been reports of politicians and other powerful persons using their influence and exerting pressure to ensure that trees in their area are selected as darus (neem trees with special attributes for making of the idols of the deities).
Sources said these persons attempted to put pressure on the Banajaga team to keep certain neem trees among the ten trees that would be shortlisted out of the 112 seen so far. Reports suggest that more than one Minister and influential bureaucrats have been pressurising the Banajaga team to search for the darus in three districts apart from Puri. While only four neem trees are to be finally selected for the carving of new idols, the recommendations may exceed it by many times. Not to be left behind, several educational institutions of Bhubaneswar too are brazenly using lord Jagannath’s Nabakalebar Yatra for their own publicity.
Even an established educational institution of Bhubaneswar has been lobbying for selecting a daru from a district neighbouring Puri district. Also a renowned educational institution in Bhubaneswar has been exerting pressure for selecting a neem tree on the outskirts of Bhubaneswar city as a daru for carving of idols of the lords.
Similarly, recommendations have been made for using certain identified neem trees in Jajpur and Cuttack districts. Daitapatis are having difference of opinion among themselves on the matter, sources revealed. Some institutions have started publicity campaigns claiming themselves to be ardent servitor of lord Jagannath.
Despite Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) announcing right at the outset that anything that would be available as donation for use by Banajaga Yatra team members will not carry any sponsor’s name, certain things being used by Banajaga Yatra team members are carrying the name of a reputed educational institution of Bhubaneswar.
A renowned educationist has put up publicity banners in Kakatpur, the hotspot of activity during the Banajaga Yatra till the selection of the darus, claiming to have been donated silken robes for lord Jagannath’s use for long years.
Some little known retired influential employees have also used the Nabakalebara for their own publicity using the name of some institutions. However, on the other hand the SJTA has rubbished allegations of lobbying during the search of darus.
“In the lord’s work, nothing neither recommendation nor demand works,” said SJTA PRO laxmidhar Pujapanda. “Search for darus is on as per prescriptions made in the scriptures,” he added.
Responding to the allegations, Daitapati Nijog president Ramachandra Das Mohapatra said, “Politics is all-pervasive, but the service to the lord is above everything else. No pressure — no matter where it comes from — will be tolerated in this case because it’s service to God.
Darus for the lords will be made purely on the basis of prophesy and the blessings of the lord.” “There is no place for compromise in this, howsoever strong the claimant may be,” he added.
The best of the neem trees will be selected out of those trees short listed with divine symbols, Mohapatra said. Meanwhile, with Banajaga Yatra team members locating around 112 neem trees during the course of their search by Wednesday (April 8), the search for neem trees that began on April 5 has come to an end.