With opposition Congress demanding a statement from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on the "inordinate delay" in 'Brahma Paribartan' ritual of Lord Jagannath, the administration of the 12th century shrine today said it would inquire into it.
"We will certainly inquire into the matter. There has been delay in Brahma Paribartan(change of life substance). I have convened a meeting of Daitapati priests (servitors) to know the fact, chief administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Suresh Chandra Mohapatra told reporters here.
"Some say the delay is due to carpenters while others claim that dispute between priests caused delay. Action will be taken against the persons responsible for the delay," he said.
Mohapatra, a senior IAS officer, was at the centre of controversy due to delay in the conduct of 'Brahma Paribartan', which was conducted during the day yesterday instead of being performed in the dark night of Amavashya on June 15 as per the record of rights (RoR).
Expressing displeasure over the delay in the conduct of rituals, Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra (Congress) said "The Chief Minister must give a statement on the inordinate delay. When J B Patnaik was the Chief Minister and the previous Nabakalebara held in 1996, he visited the temple several times for which it was a success."
Alleging that the BJD government in Odisha had completely failed in the smooth conduct of Lord Jagannath's festival, Mishra said lakhs of people have been hurt over violation of the age old tradition of conducting 'Brahma Paribartan' in the darkness of the night.
Senior Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati even demanded the Chief Minister's resignation over the incident. "Naveen Babu must know that Odisha is the land of Lord Jagannth. As the administration has failed to maintain tradition, Patnaik must resign," he said.
BJPLP leader Basant Panda also came down heavily on the government for the delay.
Ruling BJD defended the government. Its spokesman Samir Ranjan Dash said "The state government has no control over rituals in the shrine. It does not interfere in this matter. Therefore, there is no question of the Chief Minister giving a statement. As such SJTA will enquire into the matter.
