Odisha 5T Chairman VK Pandian is now in the eye of storm of the Opposition over the issue of the entry of Kamiya Jani, a social media influencer, to Puri Jagannath Temple. Jani’s entry to Puri Srimandir and consumption of ‘Mahaprasad’ have sparked a major controversy in Odisha as several political parties accused her of promoting beef on her channel.
Union Minister Giriraj Singh also slammed the entry of the YouTuber inside Puri Srimandir. Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) handle, Singh criticised Pandian.
“The violation of sanctity in Puri Srimandir is extremely disturbing. Allowing a beef promoter inside the iconic Jagannath temple by VK Pandian is a disregard for religion, history and spirituality. Immediate and serious action is necessary for those responsible for this,” tweeted Singh.
Earlier in the day, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also expressed his resentment over the entire issue.
“Lord Jagannath is the centre of devotion and connected with the sentiments of scores of Odias and Sanatanis. Nobody should do anything that hurts the sentiments of people. Above all, nobody should play with the sentiments of Odias, knowingly or unknowingly,” said Pradhan.
The Odisha Congress also targeted Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik over the entire incident.
Meanwhile, no statements could be obtained from VK Pandian or BJD leaders over the allegations brought by the BJP.