Odishatv Bureau

Bhubaneswar: Senior BJD leader Damodar Rout on Tuesday criticised Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan for comparing the'Chhera Panhara' rituals performed during Rath Yatra with 'Swachh Bharat' programme and said that Pradhan's remark is a reflection of his inflated ego.

Chhera Panhara is a ritual where flowers are thrown on the floors of the three chariots and the Puri King sweeps it with a golden broom. Comparing such a ritual with the ‘Swachh Bharat Abhiyan’ is nothing more than arrogance, rued Rout.

On Dharmendra's earlier statement that PM Modi will have his Nabakalebara from Puri, Rout said, "Nabakalebara ritual is performed for Lord Jagannath only and such remarks of Pradhan shows his vainglory which the people of Odisha will never tolerate," said Rout.

"The 'Chhera Panhara' ritual of Lord Jagannath is different. We don't like the way it was compared with the Swachh Bharat mission," said senior servitor of Puri Srimandir Binayak Das Mohapatra, adding that such rituals and traditions should not be politicised.

Earlier, Law Minister Pratap Jena had also lashed out at Pradhan for making such comparison and termed it as an insult to Jagannath culture and tradition.

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