Kolkata: BJP leader Amit Malviya on Thursday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of entrusting non-Hindus to prepare and distribute sweets labelled as “sacred prasad” of Lord Jagannath Temple at Digha in East Midnapore district.
The newly constructed temple is reportedly modelled after the iconic Shree Jagannath Dham Temple at Puri in Odisha.
Malviya circulated an official list of individuals entrusted by the administration to do the work, which clearly shows some non-Hindu names, especially Muslims.
“Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal! In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers - the majority of them Muslim - have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev’s sacred prasad. This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation. How can a government so casually trample upon deeply held religious beliefs?” Malviya said on Thursday in a statement posted on his X handle.
Malviya, the BJP's Information Technology cell chief and the party’s central observer for West Bengal, also explained why entrusting non-Hindus with the task of preparation and distribution of sweets labelled as “sacred Prasad” of Lord Jagannath was an insult to the traditional Hindu belief.
According to him, as per tradition, non-Hindus are not allowed entry into Shree Jagannath Dham Temple at Puri, a practice which is part of sanctity attached to Lord Jagannath and his traditions.
“And yet, in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, prasad meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith! This isn’t secularism but targeted sacrilege,” Malviya said.
He also claimed that Hindus in general and the devotees of Lord Jagannath in particular were deeply hurt because of the actions on the part of the administration in this case.
“This is a violation of age-old traditions and a blatant insult to religious sentiments. Bengal deserves better -- not this callous and calculated appeasement,” Malviya’s statement read.
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