KORAPUT: A politician switching parties for vested interests may not come as a surprise, but an MLA changing his religion will raise many eyebrows for sure. On Sunday, Koraput Congress MLA Krushna Chandra Sagaria embraced Buddhism at Dharma Kranti ceremony organised at his native Burga village in Koraput district.
In the two-day ceremony, the MLA and his elder brother Esto Sagaria converted to Buddhism. Apart from the Sagarias, at least 23 families also embraced Buddhism during the ceremony.“I did not take this decision on a single day. I decided to change my religion after contemplating over it for the last 10 years. I was inspired by the ideals and principles of Buddhism,” said the MLA, who belongs to Scheduled Caste.
Four Buddhist monks from Nagpur and Raipur attended the ceremony to facilitate his conversion. The monks were Bontey Nagsen Ther, Bontey Dharm Sikdhar, Bontey Bodhsghodr Bodhi and Gyan Bodhi.
Over 2,000 people from Kalahandi, Rayagada, Balangir and Koraput districts attended the ceremony.
Notably, more than 25 Congress workers, along with veteran leaders and former district Congress president Shiba Patnaik, had joined BJD at Naveen Nivas in Bhubaneswar on Saturday.