Union Ministers meet Puri Shankaracharya over chariot row

With the Puri Shankaracharya refusing to visit chariots without the company of disciples before they were pulled for Lord Jagannath's Rath Yatra, BJP leaders and Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan and Jual Oram today met the seer separately and held discussions with him.
"It is a matter of serious concern that the Shankarcharya has been deeply hurt by the act of Odisha government and Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA). They have asked him to climb the chariots alone without his disciples," Pradhan told reporters after meeting the seer.
Asking the state government to refrain from insulting the Shankaracharya, the Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister said the Chief Minister should intervene in the matter and put an end to the row.

Soon after Pradhan met Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, senior BJP leader and Union Tribal Affairs minister Jual Oram also called on the seer at the Govardhan Peeth here and requested him to visit the deities and the chariots.
Asking the state government not to interfere in religious matters, he said the Shankaracharya was deeply hurt due to the SJTA letter.
Accusing the Odisha government of interfering in religious matters, the Shankaracharya had yesterday announced that he would not visit the chariots before they were pulled for Rath Yatra.

"It is enough. The state government has dared to dictate terms to the Shankaracharya of Puri. I will not visit the chariots tomorrow before they are pulled for Rath Yatra," Saraswati had told reporters at Puri.

The seer's reaction came after his office received a letter from the Sri Jagannth Temple Administration.
The letter said the Shankaracharya should pay "darshan" to the trinity Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra and Lord Jagannath alone on the chariots and must not be accompanied by his disciples.