Opposition slams Odisha govt for not making Brahma Parivartan fiasco report public

Puri: A day after the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration announced that the report on the Brahma Parivartan Fiasco will not be made public even through RTI queries, the Opposition today launched scathing attacks on the ruling-BJD government over the decision.

BJP has termed the move as ‘unconstitutional’ and a ‘violation of basic human rights’.

Party spokesperson Pitambar Acharya, while briefing a presser here today, said “The decision for not publicising the much awaited report is a ‘huge’ conspiracy against the Odias and Jagannath culture. The way the state government has handled the development by breaking long-followed constitutional rights and without caring for the country’s apex court’s hearing is aimed at fooling the people of Odisha.”

“The move reveals three shocking facts-Firstly, that if the state government acknowledges that the report is sensitive, then the incident of Brahma Parivartan is a reality which the state government had so eagerly denied earlier.Second, the temple administrator clarified that action would be taken against those servitors who are involved in the fiasco, so it means, that as per his comments around 10 to 15 servitors are culprits. Thirdly apprehending that the report might reveal the true colours of the government, the temple administrator announced the decision on the directive of the bureaucrat sitting on the third floor who is calling all the cards,” Acharya said.

Leader of Opposition Narasingha Mishra said the decision is very unfortunate. "How a fiasco happening inside the temple can be secret, besides, without looking at the report how can one say?"

However, BJD leader Arun Sahu said that the decision comes under the ambit of the temple administration. BJP is ‘excessively’ trying to drag the state government into controversy,” Sahu said.

Meanwhile, protesting the decision, hundreds of activists of Jagannath Sena, a regional conservation outfit, staged dharna in front of the 12^th century shrine.

Convenor of Jagannath Sena, Priyadarshan Pattnaik criticised the temple administrator and said the people of the state needs to know why the he is afraid of publicising the fiasco report.

"In 2015, the Odisha government had clarified in the state assembly that there was no fiasco during the Brahma Parivartan rituals of the Lord Jagannath, but now the administrator has accepted the allegations of debacle," said Pattnaik.