BJD President and Leader of Opposition Naveen Writes CM Majhi on Adapa Pahandi Mishap of Lord Balabhadra

Bhubaneswar:11/7/24: Expressing his deep concerns over the mishap involving Lord Balabhadra during the ‘Adapa Mandap Bije’ in Puri, BJD President and Leader of Opposition (LoP) Naveen Patnaik on Thursday wrote to Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, asking him to take personal responsibility to ensure that such an incident has not occurred in future.

In the letter, Naveen wrote, “Lord Jagannath is the symbol of Odia Asmita and is the identity of the Odias. He is the Lord of the Universe. Lakhs of devotees from across the world gather at Puri Dham to witness the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath. Rath Yatra is celebrated with great reverence and devotion in every corner of the world. Apart from this, through social media platforms and television, billions of devotees enjoy the divine joy by watching the festival”.

“This year, the mishap that occurred during the Adapa Pahandi Bije of Lord Balabhadra has deeply hurt the devotees all over the world. I am also very saddened by this incident”, he said.

Mahaprabhu is the presiding deity of Odias. Such an incident during the Pahandi is unprecedented. The sight of Lord Balabhadra falling on Charmal was very heartbreaking. Such an incident had never happened in the thousands of years of Rath Yatra tradition.

The way some members of the State Cabinet made casual comments on such a sensitive issue has further pained the devotees of Lord Jagannath. The devotee’s emotions have been deeply hurt. Such an approach of the government could not comfort the devotees, Naveen said.

“In this context, I would like to request you to personal responsibility to ensure that such an incident is not repeated. I believe your concrete steps in this direction will help to comfort crores of devotees”, Naveen mentioned in his letter to CM Mohan Majhi.