Latest news with #RajeshDaitapati
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Suspension of Odisha Jagannath temple servitor escalates TMC-BJP row in Bengal
KOLKATA: The suspension of Ramakrishna Dasmohapatra, a senior Daitapati (servitor) at the Jagannath temple in Odisha's Puri on Sunday, has triggered a row in Bengal with the the state's ruling Trinamool Congress attacking Odisha's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for action against the servitor because he had participated in an event to open the Jagannath temple in Bengal's Digha. 'Priests at Hindu temples are above political interference. Rajesh Daitapati's only fault seems to be his presence at a temple built by Mamata Banerjee. This action is a proof of the BJP's narrow thinking,' TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar said. Majumdar said 'the unjust disciplinary action against a high ranking servitor is clearly a manifestation of the political diktats of the BJP government in Odisha. It hurts the sentiments of millions of Hindu devotees. The Daitapatis of Puri Jagannath temple are respected by all'. Dasmohapatra, popularly known as Rajesh Daitapati, was suspended for 30 days by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) on Sunday. The suspension came days after the administration asked him to explain why he supervised the ceremony to consecrate the new Jagannath temple built by the Mamata Banerjee government at the beach town of Digha in East Midnapore district on April 30. Banerjee's government has built the temple as a cultural centre and handed over its operation to Iskon. The chief minister, who spent two days in Digha in connection with the ceremony, has been criticised by the Bengal BJP for calling the temple Jagannath Dham., a point that has been subsequently echoed by Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi as well. The decision by SJTA to suspend the servitor is seen as an escalation of the row that erupted after Odisha law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan alleged that Rajesh Daitapati carried sacred neem wood from the temple in Puri to Digha for artisans to make the Jagannath idols. On May 5, Harichandan acknowledged that no timber from the temple had been shipped out. To be sure, the Bengal BJP welcomed the suspension of the servitor. 'I welcome this decisive action in light of his unethical involvement in the Digha Jagannath Cultural Centre controversy,' said BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition in the Bengal assemlby, in a post on X. 'He got influenced by Mamata Banerjee and provided unauthorized guidance for the replication of Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham's sacred rituals and traditions, which later led to absolutely inappropriate misleading campaign by the local administration, by projecting the Digha Cultural Center as a site which would rival the Puri Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannath Dham,' Adhikari said.
Hans India
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Amit Malviya flays Mamata Banerjee over 'controversies' surrounding Digha Temple
Kolkata: BJP Information Technology cell chief and the party's central observer for West Bengal, on Sunday, lashed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over multiple "controversies" surrounding the newly-built Jagannath Temple, officially termed as a cultural centre, at Digha in East Midnapore district. Notably, the Odisha Government has directed the Shree Jagannatha Temple Administration, Puri, to initiate a probe into the matter. Armed by a media byte of Puri Jagannath temple sevayat Ramkrishna Das Mahapatra, also known as Rajesh Daitapati, he claimed that leftover Darubrahma wood from the Puri Jagannath temple was used to carve the deities in Digha temple, which proves why the Chief Minister and her party, Trinamool Congress, are often accused of theft. "Leftover timber meant for Puri's Jagannath Temple was used to carve deities in Digha - and now a probe has been ordered. There's a reason why West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress are often called a bunch of thieves. The TMC runs like a well-oiled corruption machine, sparing nothing-not even our deities. The people of Bengal deserve better than these constant embarrassments and shady dealings," Malviya said in a statement on X. As per claims of Rajesh Daitapati, the idol of the Digha temple, officially referred to as Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre in the records of the West Bengal government, was originally intended to be made of marble. However, Daitapati claimed that as he strongly objected to using marble for idols since "Darubrahma wood" is traditionally used for crafting the idol of Lord Jagannath, CM Banerjee requested him to use the leftover Darubrahma wood from the Puri Jagannath Mandir for carving the deities in Digha temple. "It is now up to the Pujapanda Sevayats and Dharmagurus to decide whether this aligns with Hindu customs. However, Mamata Banerjee must answer to the devotees of Prabhu Jagannath: why did she choose to disrespect their faith and beliefs by using leftover wood for crafting Jagannath idols?" Malviya's post read. Another major controversy is naming the Digha structure as Jagannath Dham Cultural Centre, ignoring the significance of the word 'Dham' or what can be described as 'Dham' and whatnot. As per traditional Hindu belief, there are four Dhams, popularly known as 'Char Dham', namely Badrinath, Dwarka, Rameswaram, and Puri. Apart from that, no other temple or religious establishment can be referred to as Dham since the word has a special religious significance.
