Bhubaneswar: Rath Yatra in Puri turned into a political battleground with the govt and opposition locking horns over the annual event after pulling of chariots was stopped on Friday following massive surge in crowd. The journey to Gundicha Temple resumed on Saturday.While BJD president and former chief minister Naveen Patnaik called for “deep introspection” by the govt, former Odisha Congress president Prasad Harichandan sought judicial inquiry into the alleged “mismanagement”. Law minister Prithiviraj Harichandan in turn accused the opposition of politicising the sacred event. “I don’t want to speak about people resorting to dirty politics on Mahaprabhu. They have insulted the Lord with so many deviations in the past,” Harichandran said, indirectly referring to inadequacies when BJD and Congress governed the state.Defending the delay in the chariots reaching the Gundicha Temple, Prithiviraj said it was nothing unusual. “Most years, the chariots are pulled on the second day as well. There are very few examples of Lord Jagannath’s rath reaching the Gundicha Temple on the first day,” he said.In contrast, Naveen expressed concern over the event’s management. Highlighting past incidents, the former CM pointed to last year’s mishap when Lord Balabhadra’s idol slipped during the Adapa Bije Pahandi. This year, he noted, “Nandighosh rath (chariot of Lord Jagannath) was still standing at the Singhadwar till 7:45pm, only to move a few metres before the day ended”, leaving devotees “disenchanted and disillusioned.“Calling for introspection, Naveen wrote on X, “May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive all those responsible for the terrible mess that has overshadowed this divine festival this year.”Pressing for a judicial probe after Niladri Bije, Prasad said the chariots seem to have been halted to accommodate corporate honchos. He also questioned the alleged issue of cordon pass to a woman friend of a blogger, who has come under scanner for suspected ISI links.
