Ministers face wrath of Jagannath temple servitors

Puri, Jan 01 (UNI) Two Orissa Ministers and a ruling BJD MP today faced the wrath of the Jagannath Temple servitors and returned without having a darshan of the presiding deities on the new year day.

These VIPs entered the Jagannath temple with Chief Minister Naveen Pattnaik but were prevented by the temple servitors at the Kirtan Chakada (A place inside the temple) and encountered noisy protests.

While the Chief Minister was escorted by a group of servitors into the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, his political colleagues, Culture Minister Surya Narayan Patra, Information and Public Relations Minister Dabasis Nayak and ruling BJD MP Dr Prasanna Kumar Patshani had to return following strong protest by the temple servitors, who were up in arms against the temple management.

The PRO and PSO of the Chief Minister too were not allowed into the sanctum sanctorum and were asked by the servitors to come in the queue. The servitors shouted that only the Governor, the Chief Minister and the Chief Justice would be allowed to have special darshan.

Local legislator and Orissa Assembly Speaker Mahaswar Mohanty too was heckled when he tried to intervene into the matter. The servitors protested against the temple chief administrator who had raised impregnable barricades in and around the temple making difficult curves for the devotees to go inside the temple. They were also against the free distribution of "Mahaprasad" by the temple administration.

Angry servitors overturned the "Mahaprasad" distribution counter and threw out the barricades from the temple compound.

Interestingly the Chief Minister could not pay ''dakshina'' (tips) to the priests as his wallet was with his PSO who was denied to enter into the sanctum sanctorum.

The temple and the police administration had laid an aborate range of barricades from grand road to the temple through the Lions gate. The arrangement of barricade was so lengthy that it took few hours for one to have darshan of the lord. The queue was so long that it began from Municipal market square, about two kilometer from the temple.

Lakhs of devotees were seen waiting under the scorching sun as the queue moved in a snails pace. The devotees were allowed to get out through the other three gates.

The Chief Minister said Agriculture and Irrigation would be given priority by his government after seeking the blessings of the Lord Jagannath on the new year.

Later Mr Pattnaik went to Swargdwar crematorium and paid floral tributes to his father late Biju Pattnaik.

UNI