Former PCC president Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday decried the ‘politicisation’ of the issue of devotees climbing chariots and touching deities during the annual Car Festival at Puri and called upon political leaders, general public and spiritual leaders not to play with the sentiments of crores of devotees.
“The Car Festival of lord Jagannath has been a traditional event over centuries. There is no mention in any Shastra particularly about who will climb chariots and what the servitors will do during the Rath Yatra.
Hence, the State Government, instead of intervening in temple rituals and religious affairs, should concentrate on law and order situation, smooth traffic management and protection of deities and devotees,” Patnaik said in a Press release.