BJP leader Sambit Patra has sparked a political controversy after mistakenly calling Lord Jagannath a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Patra has since described the comment as a “slip of the tongue,” made during a media interaction following Modi’s roadshow in Odisha’s Puri.
This misstatement has drawn severe criticism from political rivals, particularly Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD).
आज महाप्रभु श्री जगन्नाथ जी को लेकर मुझसे जो भूल हुई है, उस विषय को लेकर मेरा अंतर्मन अत्यंत पीड़ित है।
मैं महाप्रभु श्री जगन्नाथ जी के चरणों में शीश झुकाकर क्षमा याचना करता हूँ। अपने इस भूल सुधार और पश्चाताप के लिए अगले 3 दिन मैं उपवास पर रहूँगा।
जय जगन्नाथ।
ଆଜି ଶ୍ରୀ… pic.twitter.com/rKavOxMjIq
— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) May 20, 2024
What Sambit Patra said
In an effort to atone for his error, Patra has announced a period of fasting. He explained that the intense heat and noise during the event contributed to his mistake. ” Today, a statement made by me had created a controversy. After PM Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Puri, I gave byte to many media channels and everywhere I said the same thing, that PM Narendra Modi is an ardent devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannath… In the end, when another channel took my byte, it was extremely hot, crowded and noisy.”
Also Read: ‘Jagannath is Modi bhakt’: Sambit Patra’s ‘Slip of tongue’ sparks row, hurts ‘Odia asmita’
Sambit Patra added, “Unknowingly, while giving the byte, I said the opposite, that Mahaprabhu is a devotee of PM Narendra Modi. This can never be true, and a person in his senses can never say such things that god is a devotee of a human. I have made this mistake unintentionally. I know some people must have been hurt but even god forgives mistakes made unintentionally… I need to seek forgiveness from Mahaprabhu Jagannath for this slip of the tongue and I have decided to do a ‘upvaas’.”
What Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik said
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was quick to condemn Sambit Patra’s statement on Monday. In a scathing social media post, he emphasised that such remarks insult the sanctity of Lord Jagannath and hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees.
“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Patnaik wrote. He also urged the BJP to keep deities out of political discourse, a sentiment echoed by other opposition leaders.
An attempt to put controversy to rest
Amid the backlash, Sambit Patra took to social media to clarify his statement, emphasizing that it was an unintentional slip. He retweeted Naveen Patnaik’s post and wrote, “I gave a number of bytes today to multiple media channels…by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite. I know you too know and understand this. Sir, let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue. We all have a slip of the tongue sometimes.”
Condemnation from Congress, AAP
Despite an apology from Sambit Patra, opposition parties remained steadfast in their criticism. The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) lodged a formal complaint, accusing Sambit Patra of deliberately insulting religious sentiments and violating the model code of conduct, calling for strict action.
The controversy quickly escalated, with leaders from various parties joining the condemnation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticized the BJP’s perceived arrogance, suggesting that such statements reflect a dangerous level of self-aggrandizement within the party. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned Patra’s statement, calling it the height of arrogance and an “insult to God.”
The Congress, BJD, and AAP capitalised on the uproar, with the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Modi himself. “Sambit Patra, who is immersed in Modi Bhakti, should not have committed this sin. Narendra Modi should apologise for this disgusting statement,” stated the Congress’s official communication.
This controversy unfolds as Odisha heads into a critical phase of the elections, with Patra’s gaffe potentially influencing voter sentiment. The BJP, striving to make significant inroads in the state, now faces the challenge of mitigating the fallout from this incident.
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