The move by the Odisha government directing the Shree Jaagnnatha Temple Administration, Puri to initiate a probe into the controversy surrounding the newly-built Jagannath Temple, officially termed as a cultural centre, at Digha in East Midnapore district of West Bengal is quite justified, according to fashion designer-turned-politician and the BJP legislator from West Bengal, Agnimitra Paul.
The Digha temple, which was inaugurated on April 30, has been officially referred as Shree Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre in the records of the West Bengal Government arguably to avoid controversies over spending public money from the state exchequer for the construction of any religious structure.
Now the main objection of the Odisha government is regarding calling the Jagannath Temple at Digha in West Bengal as ‘Jagannath Dham’.
Justifying the objections of the Odisha government on this count, Paul told IANS on Saturday that the deliberately created controversies over the Digha structure are bound to offend the sentiments of traditional Hindus, especially the people from Odisha, regarding the Shree Jagannatha Dham temple at Puri.
“In West Bengal, several persons from Odisha reside. Mamata Banerjee had insulted them, Does she think that she would be able to do anything just because she is the Chief Minister? She will not follow the Indian Constitution and rather will try to impose her own. Previously, she had done the inauguration of Durga Puja idols much before the arrival of the auspicious period necessary for that. In the Hindu religious belief, there are four Dhams namely Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameswaram, and Puri. The Chief Minister or rather anyone has the right to construct Jagannath Temple. But that temple cannot be designated as a Dham,” Paul told Media.
She also said that such deliberately created controversies sound even more irritating in the backdrop of the attack, and atrocities on the Hindu population in West Bengal.
“Hindus are being killed in West Bengal. They are being evicted from their lands… Hindu houses and Hindu temples are being gutted. Is the Chief Minister trying to play a balancing act to justify her minority appeasement politics? So, what the Odisha government is doing is justified,” Paul said.
