BJP slams Bengal government over Muslim shops making Jagannath temple prasad
West Bengal's Digha Jagannath Dham finds itself in controversy after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) raised objections to the preparation and distribution of the prasad by Muslim-owned shops.BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya on Tuesday took to social media, criticising the Trinamool Congress-led government. Malviya posted a document online listing several names he identified as Muslim sweet shop owners.These shops, he alleged, have been involved in preparing Gaja and Pera, sweets that are being distributed as prasad associated with Lord Jagannath.
Sheet shared by BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya highlighted the list of shop owners.
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'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 - 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,' he wrote on X.He added, 'This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation. In Puri, even today, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple - such is the sanctity attached to the Lord 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!'Calling the incident 'targeted sacrilege,' the BJP leader claimed that Hindus and Jagannath devotees are 'deeply hurt,' terming it a violation of tradition and religious sentiment.advertisementEchoing similar concerns, Suvendu Adhikari, Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, criticised the distribution of Digha Jagannath Dham prasad through Muslim-run establishments. 'It is hurting our sentiments,' he said.In response, senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim rejected the allegations, calling them 'mean thinking".Defending the state government's position, Hakim said, 'Bhagawan is for everyone and his prasad is also for everyone. This whole world is created by God and if a prasad is for him, then it is for everyone. One who is willing will accept it, and one like Suvendu Adhikari, who is an atheist, will not accept it.'West Bengal's Jagannath Temple in Digha was inaugurated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on April 30 this year. The temple is a replica of the main Jagannath Temple in Puri, Odisha.The new temple has since led to several political controversies between BJP and Trinamool.
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