Don’t play politics over Rath Yatra: Servitors to Odisha government

PURI:  The delay by the State Government in granting permission to chariot construction for Rath Yatra has left the servitors of Sri Jagannath temple - Daitapatis in particular -  worried. Construction has already been set back by 10 days. Any further delay, they apprehend, will affect timely completion of the chariots that have to be readied by June 22, a day before the Rath Yatra is to be conducted. 

President of the Daitapati Nijog, Rabindra Kumar Dasmahapatra on Wednesday alleged that the State Government is not in favour of conducting the Rath Yatra this year. “The State Government is playing politics over Rath Yatra. There is no point of organising so many emergency meetings if it is not willing to organise the festival this time”, he told mediapersons here. Had the work started on April 26, the Akshaya Tritiya day, frame of the three chariots would have been set up on Wednesday in ‘Gajautha’ ritual that is held on the occasion of ‘Narsingha Chaturdashi’, informed Bijay Mahapatra, the Biswakarma of Nandighosha chariot. 

On the other hand, temple chief administrator Dr Kishan Kumar informed that permission for beginning construction of the chariots could not be given to the Biswakarmas (chief carpenters) on Tuesday as the Central Government nod on the issue is awaited.

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers stated that  the State Government seeking Centre’s permission was surprsing as chariot construction did not violate any lockdown rules.At the recent temple managing committee meeting, the Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb and members observed that construction activities do not violate lockdown norms and can be held by maintaining social distancing.