Sambit Patra gaffe on Lord Jagannath triggers a row; Naveen Patnaik condemns it

Sambit Patra later said it was a “slip of tongue” and asked chief minister Naveen Patnaik not to make an issue out of a non-existent issue

Updated on: May 21, 2024, 04:54:32 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A political now erupted in Odisha after Sambit Patra, the BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha constituency, referred to Lord Jagannath as a bhakt, or devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, prompting chief minister Naveen Patnaik to hit out at Patra and his party, underlining that referring to Lord Jagannath as a “bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord”.

In a post on X soon after, Patra said it was a slip of the tongue.

Odisha CM slams BJP's Sambit Patra for calling Lord Jagannath ‘bhakt’ of PM Modi; he clarifies

The controversial remark was made when Sambit Patra was giving statements at the end of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in the temple town of Puri on Monday.

PM Modi arrived in Puri from Bhubaneswar around 7:30am on Monday and went to the Jagannath Temple where he prayed before Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Goddess Subhadra. After offering prayers at the temple, PM Modi started the roadshow with Sambit Patra, the party candidate from the Puri seat.

After the roadshow, Patra told reporters that Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri, “is Modi’s bhakt”.

“Lakhs of people have gathered here to see PM Modi. Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt and we are all PM Modi’s family. I cannot control my emotions and I think today is a momentous day for all Odias,” said Patra.

Patra’s gaffe led to condemnation from Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik and the Congress which slammed him for hurting the sentiment of Lord Jagannath devotees across the globe.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Patnaik said: “Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world. The Lord is the greatest Symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time.”

AICC in-charge for Odisha, Dr Ajay Kumar said the country and Odisha will not tolerate this insult of Lord Jagannath. “Will the media ask any question to Sambit Patra? Where are those journalists with the 7 pm agenda? Where have those Hindutva organisations gone,” he asked in a post on X.

Other INDIA bloc leaders including Delhi chief minister, Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condemned Patra for his comments.

Patra later issued a clarification, saying it was a “slip of tongue”.

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“I gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of Shri Narendra Modiji’s Road Show in Puri today, everywhere I mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite ..I know you too know and understand this ..Sir let’s not make an issue out of a non-existent issue ..we all have “slip of the tongue sometimes,” said Patra in a post on X, responding to Patnaik’s attack.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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