Sambit Patra, the Puri Lok Sabha candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party, has issued an unconditional apology following his inadvertent remark about Lord Jagannath. After finding himself embroiled in a controversy over his comments, Patra has announced that he will observe a three-day fast starting from Tuesday as a form of penance.
During an interview with local television reporters on Monday, Patra stated, “Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.” However, he later clarified that it was a slip of the tongue and that he intended to convey that the Prime Minister is an ardent ‘bhakt’ (devotee) of Lord Jagannath, and not the other way around.
Expressing remorse for his statement, Patra posted on X, “I sincerely apologize to Lord Sri Jagannath for this mistake. To atone for my error, I will be observing a fast for the next three days.”
Patra also mentioned that on Monday, during Modi’s roadshow in Puri, he had numerous interactions with the media. While conversing with them, instead of saying ‘Maha Prabhu Sri Jagannath’s Bhakt Modi’, he mistakenly pronounced ‘Modi’s Bhakt Jagannath’.
In a recent statement, Patnaik expressed his disapproval of the BJP candidate’s remarks, emphasizing that Lord Jagannath should not be dragged into political discussions. He stated, “Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is revered as the Lord of the Universe. Referring to Mahaprabhu as a devotee of another individual is disrespectful to the Lord and completely unacceptable. This has offended the sentiments and undermined the faith of millions of Jagannatha devotees and Odias worldwide.”
“The Lord is a significant symbol of Odia pride. I strongly reject the comment and urge the BJP to refrain from involving the Lord in any political discourse. This action has deeply wounded Odia pride and will be remembered and criticized by the people of Odisha for a considerable period,” he continued.
Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi, also criticized the BJP candidate’s statement. “I vehemently oppose this statement made by the BJP. They seem to believe that they are superior to God. This is the epitome of arrogance. Describing God as a devotee of Modi ji is an insult to God,” he shared on social media.