BHUBANESWAR: The Opposition BJD and Congress on Thursday came down heavily on the state government for the mismanagement at Lingaraj temple during Maha Shivaratri celebrations including the serious injuries sustained by a servitor who fell down while lifting the Mahadeepa atop the shrine on Wednesday night.
Criticising the state government for mishandling the large religious gathering on Maha Shivaratri, BJD spokesperson Lenin Mohanty said this is not for the first time that such an incident has occurred. “During Rath Yatra last year, Lord Balabhadra also fell down injuring several servitors. The state government has failed again,” he said.
Mohanty alleged that the state administration was more concerned about VIPs and their passes rather than ensuring a peaceful festival where the deities are properly taken care of and the common man is given importance.
BJD leader and Bhubaneswar Mayor Sulochana Das also held the government responsible for the incident. The administration failed to take adequate measures for such a large gathering, she said.
President of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Bhakta Charan Das described the incident as unfortunate and demanded that the state government present a white paper in this regard during the budget session of the Assembly. “A similar incident had taken place during the Rath Yatra in Puri which hurt the sentiments of lakhs of devotees in the state and outside,” he alleged.
Stating that the Mahadeepa of Lord Lingaraj fell in the same manner in which Lord Balabhadra’s idol had slipped during the Rath Yatra, Das said such an incident took place due to lack of preparedness on the part of the administration.
However, BJP MLA Babu Singh said the Opposition leaders should refrain from indulging in blame game over the issue. “Bhubaneswar mayor is also part of the administration. She was present at the temple during the festival. She went around and saw the arrangements for the festival,” he said.