Saswat Singhdeo

Bhubaneswar: Journalist Abhijit Iyer Mitra's derogatory remarks on Odisha have drawn intense criticism.

Mitra was criticised for a tweet which he had tweeted on November 16, 2017, and in which the scribe wrote: “Odisha was discovered by Bengali explorers, who called it “OriShala!!! And it was named Orissa”.

He also wrote that Jagannath temple was built by the Gangas, who were disgraced Pallava Tamil retainers. “...no such thing as Orissa, just the wild southern provinces of undivided Bengal,” Mitra had tweeted.

All the prominent political parties of Odisha strongly condemned Mitra for his tweets and demanded action against him.

"Such remarks are not acceptable at all. Strict action should be taken against such people," BJP legislator, Pradeep Purohit said.

Similarly, BJD spokesperson Samir Das said, "The way he has commented on Lord Jagannath and Odisha is completely condemnable. So, strict action should be taken against him.”

Congress leader Tara Prasad Bahinipati said "Lord Jagannath is the lord of the entire world. I don't know who this guy Abhijit is, but we should not give importance to such a worthless person."

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Meanwhile, former MP Baijayant Jay Panda, whose helicopter was seized while flying over Chilika along with Abhijit Iyer has also condemned the latter’s act.

“The video was made when they went on a road trip & I was not present with them, but I condemn it. We should be sensitive about our religious places, heritage, tradition and history. So making parody on such subjects is unwarranted. I am proud of our history & heritage,” Jay Panda said through a YouTube video.

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