Odisha BJP opposes construction of ISKCON Jagannath Temple in Puri
Bhubaneswar, Jan 19: The state wing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) opposed the construction of another Jagannath temple by International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) in Puri. The party urged the state government to clarify its stand on this matter and not to approve such plans which hurt sentiments of Odia people.
Notably, ISKCON has proposed to construct anther temple in Puri, whose ground breaking ceremony was done on November 29. The temple would be build near Batamangala which would be around 2.5 km distance from main temple located at Bada Danda in Puri.
Slamming the state government for being mum on the issue, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra said the construction of another temple in Puri is against the tradition of and culture of the 12th century shrine. He said there would be involvement of foreign people behind the plan to construct another temple. It will hurt the sentiment of people of Odisha, he added. Mohapatra urged the Chief Minister and Law Minister not to approve the plan of the international organization to set up another temple in Puri.