Odisha Congress on Friday started its ‘Tulasi Yatra’ demanding the opening of the four gates of Puri Srimandir. For the Tulasi Yatra, Congress workers collected holy Basil leaves from all districts of the state and they were kept at the Congress Bhawan in Bhubaneswar. As a part of the yatra, the party will hold a march and take the collected Basil leaves to the Puri Jagannath Temple (Srimandir).
Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president, Sarat Pattanayak, party's Odisha in-charge Chella Kumar, and former OPCC president, Prasad Harichandan along with many senior leaders were present during the launch of the yatra from the Congress Bhawan.
During the Tulasi Yatra, Congress leader Bijay Patnaik said, “We are demanding on behalf of the people of Odisha. We want the Odisha government to open the four gates of the Puri Srimandir, as devotees are facing lots of difficulties to have a smooth darshan of the Lord. Sometimes, due to the rush, stampede-like situation is witnessed at the temple. The government should listen to our demands or they will face major consequences in the coming days.”
In response to the campaign launched by the Congress, ruling BJD MLA, Amar Satpathy launched a scathing attack and said, “Congress party is clueless and not getting any pertinent issues to raise. Not only in Srimandir but beautification works are in progress in all the religious shrines across Odisha. People are appreciating the efforts of the Odisha Government. The ‘Tulasi Yatra’ from the Congress party is an unnecessary step.”
Earlier, the Congress conducted a 'padayatra' on Puri Badadanda voicing its demand for the opening of the four gates of the temple. Following the 'padayatra,' the Congress did 'Sankirtan Satyagrah' in Jagannath temples across all districts.