Bhubaneswar: Amid controversy over her recent visit to Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri, social media influencer and food blogger Kamiya Jani on Sunday clarified that she is a Hindu and never consumed beef nor promoted it.
“My aim behind visiting the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri was to seek blessing of the deity and inform people about the infrastructure development of the shrine. It is unfortunate that my visit has become controversial,” she said.
“I understand the temple authorities have some rules. I want to clarify that I have not broken any rule. I am a practising Hindu, I have never eaten beef, nor do I promote it,” Ms.Jani said.
“As a food blogger, I certainly inform people about the various cuisines from across regions,” she said further while talking about her food reel from Kerala which mentioned beef curry and showed her posing with a plate of the locally popular dish.
“There are lots of videos where I tell viewers about local food, but I don’t eat it all. I can understand that this might have been a misunderstanding, and I am issuing this clarification to end the misunderstanding,” she added.
However, despite this clarification from Jani, Opposition BJP and Congress continue to target the BJD government.
BJP MLA Suryavanshi Suraj compared the state government’s mentality with that of the ‘Kalapahad’ and alleged that the government was trying to finish Jagannath culture and Odia culture.
People of the state will not forgive politics over Lord Jagannath and Mahaprasad, he said.
“We are saying on the basis of the video. And, was it not necessary for the person who took her to the temple to do a background check?,” the MLA asked.
Similarly, Congress leader Nishikanta Mishra sought apology from the State Government for trying to destroy Jagannath culture.
On the other hand, BJD leader and MLA Sudhir Samal said the same Youtuber made a promotion of Ayodhya Ram Mandir, but no one opposed it at that time. Now, the Opposition are playing politics over the sentimental and sensitive issue, he said.