Ratna Bhandar row: Odisha govt needs to tell the truth in Court, says BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday slammed the Odisha government by advising it to tell the truth in affidavits submitted in the Court.

The BJP said this in connection with the Ratna Bhandar affidavit that the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) had submitted in the Orissa High Court.

As per the affidavit, the inner chamber of the Ratna Bhandar has 50.6 Kg gold and 134.5 Kg Silver. While the outer chamber contains 95.320 kg gold and 19.480 kg silver, the current chamber has 3.480 kg gold and 30.350 kg silver.

The BJP asked if the Ratna Bhanadar has never been opened since 1978, then how did the government know the amount of ornaments in stock today?

Speaking to the reporters, State BJP General Secretary, Prithviraj Harichandan said, “Whenever the government submits an affidavit, it generally contains a bunch of lies. The inventory of the Ratna Bhandar was taken in 1978. It has not been opened even once since then. Did the government insert a microscope inside it to see what is inside? How did they know the amount of Gold stored in Ratna Bhandar now?”

"We demand to open the Ratna Bhandar and an inventory to be made immediately. The current stock should be matched with the stock back in 1978 so that millions of Jagannath devotees know exactly how much jewellery Lord Jagannath had and how much He currently has,” Harichandan added.

Senior Congress leader, Narasingha Mishra said, “The ASI says it needs repairing. Even the Gajapati King is of the same opinion. That means the Ratna Bhandar is not safe. And for that to happen, the Ratna Bhandar needs to be opened first.”

“I do not allege that the ornaments have been stolen. However, the State government definitely came under suspicion when it announced that the keys to the Ratna Bhandar were lost. A judicial Commission was also set up to probe the lost keys. But the findings were never revealed. It increased the suspicion on the government even more,” Mishra said.

In the affidavit submitted by the SJTA Administrator (Niti), it has also been mentioned that there are three chambers in the Ratna Bhandar. The ornaments kept in the inner chamber are never used. Similarly, the ornaments of the outer chamber are used on the occasions of festivals. And for the daily rituals of the deities, the ornaments kept in the current chamber are used.