Bharatiya Janata Party’s Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra has stirred up a major controversy with his remarks suggesting that Lord Jagannath is a ‘devotee’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This has prompted strong reactions from the opposition.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi took a swipe at the PM and the BJP, questioning,
“Who gave a handful of BJP people the right to hurt the sentiments of crores of people?” He claimed the “fall of the BJP’s ‘sinful Lanka’ is near.”
In a post on ‘X’, Rahul said when the PM “starts considering himself as an emperor and the courtiers start considering him as God, then it is clear that the downfall of the Lanka of sin is near.”
Seeking to control the damage, Patra expressed regret, saying his comment was a ‘slip of the tongue’. He said he would perform a 3-day fast to apologize.
Patra clarified he had consistently stated PM Modi is a devoted follower of Lord Jagannath, but due to the conditions, he mistakenly said the opposite.
The remarks have touched a raw nerve in Odisha, where the Puri Jagannath Temple holds immense significance. The episode has highlighted the sensitivity of religious sentiments in India’s political discourse.
