West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday hit out at the Odisha government over alleged attacks on Bengali migrant workers in the neighbouring state in the wake of the controversy over the Digha “Jagannath Dham” and rejected the allegations of theft of sacred neem wood from the 12th-century Puri Jagannath shrine for making idols at the newly built temple.
Hours later, Odisha’s law minister Prithviraj Harichandan clarified that the idols at Digha’s Jagannath Temple have not been crafted from the leftover woods of Nabakalebar rituals.
Speaking to mediapersons after meeting MPs and MLAs during her visit to the violence-hit Murshidabad district, the CM said, “The Jagannath Dham has badly affected you (Odisha government). Hasn’t it? It is being said I even stole neem wood. I have four neem trees in my house. The mother of thieves shouts more… Mamata Banerjee doesn’t need to steal from anywhere. Our deity is made of marble. Is it a crime to worship Lord Jagannath in West Bengal? They should know that one can even buy a Jagannath idol.”
Dismissing claims that the Bengal government used wood from the Puri shrine, Banerjee said, “Daitapati (senior servitor at Puri temple) brought it, not from where they are claiming. I heard he was called yesterday and he simply told them the allegations were false. I heard that he was questioned why he even came here.”
Her remarks came a day after the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) in Puri questioned a senior servitor over the alleged use of surplus sacred wood meant for the 12th-century Puri shrine in crafting idols for the Digha temple.
According to officials, Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, secretary of the influential ‘Daitapati Nijog’, a body of servitors traditionally considered the bodyguards of Lord Jagannath, was summoned for questioning. Dasmohapatra had reportedly supervised the consecration ceremony of the Digha temple held on April 30, which was attended by Banerjee herself.
Nearly 56 servitors from the Puri temple had participated in the ceremony in Digha, raising eyebrows among temple authorities and drawing criticism from some quarters in Odisha.
On Monday, the Odisha minister said: “The carpenter servitor confirmed that it’s not possible to craft idols of 2.5 feet height from the leftover woods of Nabakalebar rituals. The idols taken by Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, who participated in the inaugural ceremony of Digha temple, were made by a carpenter in Bhubaneswar.”
Objecting to the use of word Dham (seat) by the West Bengal government for Digha Jagannath Temple, Harichandan said the Odisha government will write to the West Bengal government to not use the word Dham for the new shrine. He said there are only four dhams according to Hinduism.
Meanwhile, Banerjee further questioned Odisha government’s stance, highlighting Bengal’s “support” to the neighboring state during the crisis. “Why is there so much jealousy over Jagannath Dham? When you face electricity shortage, Bengal arranges it. I love Odisha. When, during a cyclone, all your electricity wires get damaged, you ask for help from our engineers. Despite the fact that we were also affected by the cyclone, we sent them. A large number of tourists from Bengal visit Odisha, particularly Puri. Our tourists keep visiting their state throughout the year. What is your problem if we have one Jagannath Dham? You stay happy and let Bengal also stay happy.”
Banerjee also raised concern over the alleged targeting of Bengali-speaking people in Odisha and other states. “Why are you targeting and beating up Bengali-speaking people? I have come to know that in Odisha, people are being beaten up for speaking in Bengali. Similar things happened even in Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.”
“You are targeting our workers for speaking in Bengali, but we will not do this. That is the difference between you and us. We have 1.5 crore migrant labourers from different states in Bengal,” she added.
“Jealousy has no cure. I do not want any misunderstanding with anyone. Our Chief Secretary is writing a letter to the Bihar, Rajasthan, and Odisha governments. Our DGP has most likely spoken to his Odisha counterpart. May good sense prevail,” she said.
The Digha temple project, backed by the West Bengal government, has been pitched as a major tourism and religious hub on the Bay of Bengal coast and is seen by many as a cultural counter-narrative to Puri’s famed temple, one of the holiest shrines in the Hindu religion.
— with inputs from Sujit Kumar Bisoyi, Bhubaneswar