BJP launches campaign over Nabakalebar fiasco

Protesting the gross deviation in the 'Brahma Parivartan' ritual of the deities in Shree Jagannath temple, the Odisha BJP on Tuesday kicked off a weeklong 'Shree Jagannath Sanskruti Suraksha Yatra' from Puri.

The yatra was flagged off from the Grand Road of Puri in the presence of party's senior leaders will move across the state to protest gross mismanagement in Nabakalebara rituals and the Naveen Patnaik-led government's failure to conduct the festival as per Jagannath temple tradition.

The yatra will continue till July 6, party leaders said.

"It will create public opinion on lapses in the sacred rituals and the failure of the Naveen Patnaik government in managing the Nabakalebara festival on all fronts. We will make the people aware about the government, which is playing with the Jagannath culture," said state Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president K.V. Singhdeo.

Criticising the state government for the 'Brahma Paribartan' fiasco, union Tribal Affairs Minister Jual Oram demanded resignation of the chief minister and a judicial probe into the mess that was created around it.

However, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) claimed it was taking every possible step for smooth functioning of the Nabakalebar rituals.

"The opposition parties are playing politics over the religious issue to revive their political fortunes. The state government is inquiring into the delay in Brahma Paribartan and would take appropriate action against the guilty," said BJD spokesperson Sashibhusan Behera.

Brahma Paribartan is ceremonial exchange of soul substance from the old idols into the new ones of Lord Jagannath and His siblings.

The yatra is scheduled to proceed to Cuttack and then to Chandikhole on the first day. On the second day, it will cover several parts of Bhadrak district while on July 2, it will touch Balasore. The yatra will terminate at Nayagarh town on July 6.