Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday urged the Centre to withdraw the National Monuments Authority's (NMA) heritage bylaws for two more temples in the State.
Patnaik took to Twitter and demanded withdrawal of the draft bylaws for Ananta Basudev and Brahmeswar Temple of Ekamra Kshetra.
"Central Govt should immediately withdraw the National Monuments Authority Draft Bylaws on Ananta Basudev & Brahmeswar Temple of #EkamraKshetra. It would have been appropriate for the Central agencies to take the State into confidence on sensitive religious issues," wrote Patnaik.
The CM also appealed to all the MPs from Odisha to take up this sensitive matter with the Union Government and Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel.
"I appeal to all the MPs from #Odisha to take up this sensitive matter with the Union Government & @prahladspatel, as it involves the sentiments of lakhs of devotees of #Odisha, lives and livelihood of sebayats, linked to the smooth conduct of Nitis of Lord Lingaraj," the CM added.
The CM's demand came a day after BJP State General Secretary Lekha Samantasinghar alleged, "Odisha government is trying to create a wrong image in the minds of the people that Centre is against Odisha culture and heritage which is a blatant lie."
“The excavation by Odisha government near Suka Sari Temple, which is even more ancient than Puri Lord Jagannath and Lingaraj Temples using bulldozers, is a stark violation of the archaeological excavation protocols. As per the rules, the excavated materials whatever their condition be, they should be preserved in the best way possible but Odisha government even went to such an extent as to sell the artefacts,” alleged Samantasinghar during a presser on Thursday.
Meanwhile, reacting to the demand raised by the Odisha CM, Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said the Centre will leave no stone unturned in honouring and respecting the culture, pride and sentiments of Odisha and its people.
Pradhan requested the Odisha CM to list out objections of the State government in the draft published by the NMA.
Pradhan further said protection of monuments of national, historical and cultural importance is a collective responsibility of all of us, adding the CM, who is a founding member of
INTACH, must be aware that all notified monuments are protected under the AMASR Act, 1958 enacted in the Parliament.
"To facilitate better upkeep, protection and preservation of these national treasures, NMA was constituted by a court order to provide better policy and legal framework to further improve upon preservation of monuments of immense cultural and historical importance," he added.
(Edited By Pradeep Singh)