By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR/PURI: The Naveen Patnaik led BJD Government in Odisha, which has been getting global praise for its fight against COVID-19 , was on Sunday found itself in sticky wicket with Union Minister Pratap Sarangi asking the Chief Minister to consult with Puri Seer Jagadaguru Swami Nischalananda Saraswati and Gajapati King Dibya Singh Dev seeking an early decision from the State Government.
“Instead delaying the matter , the Government should consult Puri seer and take a call on annual Rath Yatra,” Union Minister Sarangi said. Puri’s Gajapati King however expressed his concern and requested the Government to look into the matter and take an early decision in this regard.
Union Minister of State (MoS) for Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and MSME , Sarangi has expressed his concerns on the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balbhadra and Devi Subhadra observed in Odisha each year.
In a letter to Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the minister suggests that the Rath Yatra should be conducted in a controlled manner.”Amidst restriction, the festival should be organized as per the age-old divine tradition, reflecting the unity of mind and sense of purpose of all the stakeholders,” Pratap Sarangi wrote. He added that recent media reports concerning the Covid-19 outbreak in Odisha have cast a shadow on the Rath Yatra celebrations disturbing the people of the state as well as millions of devotees from around the world.
Pratap Sarangi further wrote, “The Rath Yatra, which is to begin on 23 June 2020, is certainly going to be affected by it (Covid-19 outbreak), in terms of the level of public enthusiasm and scale of participation.”
“I sincerely believe that amidst restriction, the festival should be organized as per the age-old divine tradition, reflecting the unity of mind and sense of purpose of all the stakeholders,” added the MoS. Sarangi urged CM Patnaik issue clear instructions to the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) to hold extensive consultations with the “Shankaracharya of Govardhan Peeth, Puri Gajapati Maharaja, Mukti Mandap scholars, Daitapatis, temple servitors and others before deciding the nature and scale of Rath Jatra celebrations this year”.
Meanwhile, senior sevayat Ram Chandra Dasmohapatra of the Shri Jagannath temple said since the rituals of the lords, especially the Pohandi Bije (procession of the lords from the temple to the chariots), cannot be performed in accordance with social-distancing guidelines, it should be mandatory for the Daitapati,sevayats in charge of the Pahandi Bije rituals to undergo the Covid-19 test.
