Is Jagannath only the Lord of the poor?

Bhubaneswar: The festival of Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath is being celebrated all over the globe today. But the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) drew criticism from people all over the country for tweeting that only the poor relate to Jagannath.

As per the norm, the PMO wishes the public on all special occasions through social media. While the Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in USA, the PMO tweeted a wish for Rath Yatra today. However, the tweet read, “The poor relate with Lord Jagannath” and that Jagannath is the Lord of the poor.

The poor relate with Lord Jagannath. Greetings on Rath Yatra. #MannKiBaat pic.twitter.com/ki9nqVJ07L

— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 25, 2017

This has not gone well with devotees of Lord Jagannath. Many people instantly reacted over the statement criticizing the PMO tweet for dividing the devotees of the deity among rich and poor.

While some wrote Jagannath is the Lord of the Universe and no such differences stand before him, others said, ‘everyone is poor who doesn’t believe in God. Lord Jagannath is lord of the Universe and all relate with him.’ Another Twitter user wrote, “Jagannath culture is not only predominated in Puri but it is global. Where is Garbi then?”