While the process of reopening the Ratna Bhandar of Puri Srimandir has started after a long gap of 45 years, the state units of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress targeted the state government, accusing it of dragging its feet on the issue.
The Srimandir Managing Committee recommended the Odisha government to allow the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) to reopen and carry out repair work of the Ratna Bhandar during the Rath Yatra next year. But this decision has been questioned. Starting from devotees to Srimandir Managing Committee members, many have demanded that prior to the repair work of Ratna Bhandar, the inventory of the ornaments should be done.
“We would raise the demand for counting of ornaments before repair work,” said Srimandir Managing Committee member, Ashok Mohapatra.
“The government has devised a plan to befool Jagannath devotees. The time of the reopening of the Ratna Bhandar has been fixed in such way that by that time the general elections would have been over and so would have been the tenure of the present Srimandir Managing Committee,” said Mukti Mandap member, Harishankar Mishra.
The High Court has fixed August 7 and 14 to hear the petitions filed by BJP leaders Samir Mohanty and Dillip Mohapatra, respectively.
Senior advocate Pitambar Acharya, who is the counsel for Samir Mohanty, also alleged that the government is trying to mislead the people.
“At a time when the walls are not safe, the decision has been taken to reopen the Ratna Bhandar during the Rath Yatra. It suggests that they don’t have any interest to open it. The government is least bothered about the condition of lords’ ornaments,” observed Acharya.
On the other hand, the BJP has demanded that the Ratna Bhandar should be opened within one or two months, instead of the next Rath Yatra.
“It is the demand of the people that the Ratna Bhandar should be opened within one or two months,” said BJP leader, Pradip Purohit.
Senior Congress leader, Taraprasad Bahinipati termed the decision of opening the Ratna Bhandar during next year’s Rath Yatra as a political agenda and said, “The general election is approaching and petitions are scheduled to be heard in the High Court. They would then have a ruse that the time for the reopening of Ratna Bhandar has been fixed. I would like to ask the Managing Committee to pass a resolution immediately and reopen the Ratna Bhandar within a month.”
No responses could be obtained from the concerned officials or the ruling BJD.