By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: BJP National VP in-charge of Assam and Delhi, and former 4th times MP from Odisha, Baijayant ‘Jay’ Panda on Friday urged the Naveen Patnaik led Government in the State to make steps so that the age old tradition of holding Rath Yatra of Lord Baladevjew in Tulsi Khetra in Kendrapara be conducted amid COVID-19 restrictions as per as with Puri’s Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra.
The BJP National VP Panda, who twice represented Kendrapara in Lok Sabha from 2009 to 2019, however argued that both Lord Baladevjew Temple in Kendrapara and Lord Jagannath Temple in Puri bear similar spiritual and religious links and each Temple has age old religious links. The former Kendrapara MP Panda urged the State Government to let the Rath Yatra be organized at Tulasi Khetra and issue SoP prohibiting the devotees’ participation.
It may be noted here that last year, the Ratha Yatra was organized inside the Baladevjew temple premises. No chariot pulling was held. The district administration had promulgated Section 144 CrPC outside the temple premises, Ratha danda and Mausima temple during Shree Gundicha and Bahuda Yatra to restrict the congregation of devotees.
Earlier, the servitors and devotees of Lord Baladevjew had expressed displeasure at the State Government’s decision not to hold Rath Yatra anywhere in the State except Puri. If Lord of the Universe Jagannath’s Car festival is allowed at Puri without devotees amid the ongoing pandemic, then why the State Government has not been allowing the Car festival here at the Baladevjew temple, they had asked. They had said that the State Government should give green signal to organise the Baladevjew’s Rath Yatra in Kendrapada with limited participation of servitors.The Government has decided that only servitors having RT-PCR negative report within 48 hours and those who are fully vaccinated will take part in the proceeding including observance of all rituals at Puri. Here too, the same can apply, demanded the servitors of the Baladevjew temple, servitors had earlier demanded.
