India News | BJD's Debi Prasad Mishra Defends Jagannath Dham, Responds to Digha Temple Controversy

Bhubaneswar, (Orissa) [India], May 6 (ANI): BJD Vice-President Debi Prasad Mishra has responded to the controversy surrounding the Digha Jagannath Temple and the formation of the party's new team.

On the Digha temple issue, Mishra said that there are four Dhamas in the country, and Jagannath Dham is one of them. "It can't be changed. Jagannath Dham is Jagannath Dham. Gajapati Maharaja and devotees have all shown their concern. Jagannath Temple is everywhere, but Jagannath Dham is in Puri only," he asserted. Mishra also addressed the issue regarding the use of Darubrahma wood in the Digha Jagannath Temple idols, stating, "The Law Minister has already clarified that Darubrahma wood has not been used."

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Meanwhile, regarding the formation of the new team and the sidelining of senior leaders, Mishra explained that after Naveen Patnaik became the BJD president, he formed his team, including the Political Affairs Committee. "There is no infighting. The party president has taken the decision on who will be in the team and who will not," Mishra clarified.

Reacting to the row over naming the newly built Digha temple as 'Jagannath Dham', Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal stated that there is clarity in everyone's mind that Jagannath Dham is in Puri and it was wrong to name Digha temple as Dham.

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Manmohan Samal said, "Jagannath Dham is in Puri. There is no dispute in this; temples should be built in Digha, and temples should be built everywhere. Jagannath temple is there in many places in the world; there is no dispute anywhere. It is wrong to name it as dham; there are four Dhams, not five Dhams. BJP is not angry. There is clarity in everyone's mind that Jagannath Dham is in Puri."

The word Dham was replaced with temple in the signboards at the 'Jagannath Digha' temple.

Earlier, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Monday emphasised the importance of respecting all religious institutions, including the Jagannath Temple in Puri and the Digha Jagannath Temple.

Speaking to the media, CM Mamata Banerjee stated, "We respect the temple in Puri and we also respect Jagannath Dham. Kaali Temples and Gurdwaras are found throughout the country. Temples exist in all areas. Why is there so much anger on this issue?"

This comes after the West Bengal government, led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, referred to the Digha temple as "Jagannath Dham," a term traditionally reserved for the 12th-century Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha. (ANI)

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