The overwhelming support to the Congress-called bandh across the State on Friday has underlined more of a spontaneous outburst of anger and anguish of the people against the fiasco of the Brahma Paribartan rituals in Puri than a bolstering of the position of Congress.If anything, this time, the Congress has picked up a very sensitive issue to take to streets concerning one and all in Odisha and all Jagannath lovers across the globe. Though there were allegations that the issue was being politicised, people at large were hardly buying the argument and supported the shutdown for the larger cause of the lord and State’s pride and dignity.
The BJD Government showed unprecedented fear with the public resentment against the Puri mess building up. It was proved by the tight security cover provided to the Chief Minister and a few of his Cabinet colleagues who have an axe to grind with the temple affairs, Nabakalebar and Rath Yatra issues. long after its dispute with the Daitas concerning the chariot mounting ahead of the Rath Yatra last year and its tiff with the Jagatguru Shankaracharya of Gobardhan Mutt over curtailing of his retinue while having a darshan of the deities, which had kicked off a big row, the Naveen Patnaik Government has found its Achilles heel once again in a religious dispute. As such, it is handling the issue very cautiously lest the Opposition took the advantage.
One thing that strikes the mind is amid the prevailing hue and cry can the State Government be blamed in entirety for the Puri fiascoIJ The SJTA is there to control the affairs of the temple, but has it been able to cut some of the unruly and arrogant servitors to sizeIJ If the temple administration was able to exert its power fully and efficiently, there would not be any mishap. The servitors who call the shots in the temple seem to be running a parallel administration and hence, they need to be taken to task.
The Brahma transfer was a secret ritual and was done while the temple was shut from outside. Hence, neither the SJTA nor the Government had anything to do with it after the Daitas were handed over the keys of the temple on June 15 keeping them shut inside and the precincts pitch-dark with all lights switched off. However, the run-up to the secret ritual could have been better managed. When a large number of servitors were allowed to get into the temple and even a few of them carrying mobile phone, it certainly exposes a chink in the Government’s armour.