War of words erupts on social media over naming row
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Bhubaneswar: Calls to "
boycott Puri
", "
Puri tourism
" and "boycott Odisha" have erupted on social media following the controversy over the Digha Jagannath temple. The online campaign, apparently initiated in West Bengal, sparked heated exchanges between netizens of both states across multiple social media platforms.
"Bengali tourists contribute significantly to the tourism industry in Odisha, particularly in areas like Puri, where Jagannath Temple is a major draw for Bengali pilgrims. The state's tourism sector contributes a notable percentage of Odisha's GDP. Bengalis boycott Puri tourism," read a post from an account named Bengal Warrior on multiple social media platforms.
A reply to the post on X read, "We the people of Odisha are truly sweet, start a boycott against us and we will support it. Thank you, Bengal Warrior, you are so kind. Please don't waste your money visiting Puri. It's not worth it. We stand with you. Puri will reclaim its lost sanctity."
Odia users retaliated with sarcastic posts, leading to a war of words, while a few posts described it as a 'deliberate attempt' to create a rift between the people of the two neighbouring states. Some also accused the campaigners of politicising faith and disrespecting centuries-old traditions.
"I feel the unnecessary controversy was created by #MamataBanerjee to create a rift between Hindus in Odisha and West Bengal. And this will benefit leaders politically. Those netizens calling for #boycottpuritourism are fools of the highest order," another X post read.
A few posts urged Bengalis not to visit Puri and Odisha. "Please don't come to Odisha. We don't need Bengalis. Puri is a spiritual centre and will reclaim its sanctity, thanks to Bengalis," one of them read.
Reacting to the social media campaign, convener of Jagannath Sena, Priyadarshan Patnaik, said, "Nobody can stop those who are real devotees of Lord Jagannath from coming to Puri. Duplicate will always be duplicate and cannot be comparable with the original. Brass can never be gold."
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