Bhubaneswar: In a novel protest for Lord Jagannath, Opposition Congress today organized Tulsi Jatra from Bhubaneswar to Puri demanding reopening of all gates Srimandir for devotees and Ratna Bhandar for repair & inventory.
The Congress workers collected tulsi or basil leaves from houses across 314 blocks of the State and brought the holy leaves to Congress Bhawan, from where the Tulsi Jatra was started towards Puri. The tulsi leaves took out to Puri in vehicles decorated as Raths with placing idols of Lord Jaganath and his siblings placed at the top.
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattnayak, OPCC in-charge A. Chellakumar, former presidents Prasad Harichandan & Jaydev Jena, campaign committee chairman Bijay Patnaik, MLAs Taraprasad Bahinipati, Suresh Routray and many other senior Congress leaders took part in the Jatra, which was started from Congress Bhawan here and culminated at Puri.
The Congress leaders and activists took out the yatra till Rajmahal Square in Bhubaneswar from there they went to Puri. The Congress members again held a rally at Puri Grand Road before offering the tulsi to Lord Jagannath.
“As the government has closed down three doors of the Puri temple, devotees are suffering. So, today, Congress people from all over Odisha brought tulsi to offer Lord Jagannath,” said Shri Chellakumar.
OPCC President Shri Pattanayak said they organized the yatra to wake up the government from deep sleep so that they can reopen all four gates of the Jagannath temple so that devotees can have smooth darshan.
“Though we had raised this demand before the beginning of holy Odia kartik month, the government did not listen to it. So, today we hold this unique protest praying to Lord Jagannath to enlighten the government to reopen the doors and Ratna Bhandar,” he said.
The Congress also demanded reopening of the temple’s treasury ‘Ratna Bhandar’, which has remained closed since 1978. The temple’s treasury should be reopened for its repair and inventory of valuables stored inside its chambers, the president said.
Senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Satpathy said the Congress doesn’t have any issue in its hands, so it is playing religion politics
On November 9, the Congress staged agitation named as ‘Sankirtan Satyagraha’ in which the leaders and workers performed ‘Sankirtan’ in front of different Jagannath temples across the state over the same demanding reopening of four gates of the temple.
Prior to this, the party had staged demonstrations in Puri on October 16 over the same demand.
