Odisha: Congress seeks public apology CM Naveen Patnaik over Kamiya Jani’s Jagannath temple visit

By Swagatika Das

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 23: The issue of social media influencer Kamiya Jani’s entry into Srimandir in Puri is snowballing into a major controversy with two leading oppositions – the Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress taking on the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on it.

Just two days after the BJP general secretary Dr Jatin Mohanty launched a scathing attack on Pandian and Kamiya, the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) on Saturday sought an apology from chief minister Naveen Patnaik for Jani’s recent entry into Srimandir in Puri along with V K Karthikeyan

Srimandir, famously known as Jagannath temple, is the abode of Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra.

“Kamiya Jani, as per her own videos, seems to be a beef-eater. In her videos, she has promoted beef eating. In Hinduism, beef eating is strictly prohibited. How was this lady allowed to enter the temple? Since V K Pandian always claims that he only acts on behalf of CM Naveen Patnaik, we believe he took Kamiyan to Srimandir with the former’s direction only,” OPCC president Sarat Pattanayak said while addressing a press conference here at Congress Bhawan.

Stating that the sentiments of Odisha people and all the devotees of Lord Jagannath had been hurt because of Kamiyan eating Mahaprasad (the sacred offering of Lord Jagannath), Pattanayak said. “We demand a public apology from CM Naveen Patnaik.”

 OPCC campaign committee chairperson Bijaya Patnaik, while responding to the ruling BJD’s observation that Kamiyan was promoting Mahaprasad, said, “Mahaprasad needs no promotion. It’s not ordinary food. It has got different sanctity and dignity. The BJD leaders cannot shrug off the fact that V K Pandian and Kamiya have committed a blunder. The CM must beg pardon to the people of Odisha for the sinful activity of his man V K Pandian,” said Mr Patnaik.

He warned that people of Odisha would take to the streets if CM does not open his mouth on the issue and begs apology.

The Congress attack on the BJD and CM Naveen Patnaik comes close on the heels of the scathing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the major opposition in Odisha, targeting the ruling party on the issue.

On Thursday, BJP state general secretary Dr Jatin Mohanty had said Pandian and Kamiya’s  behaviour had hurt the religious sentiment of crores of Hindus. He alleged that video shooting of the conversation between the two (Pandian and Kamiya) on the premises of Srimandir and its broadcasting on different channels was unacceptable.

Kamiya has already clarified on Instagram that she has never consumed beef and has been visiting all the Jyotirlingas and char dhams (four holy shrines) of India.

On Friday, BJD Rajya Sabha member Manas Mangaraj had condemned the BJP’s criticism of Pandian and Kamiya as an act of “intolerance.”