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Journalism of Courage
Following outrage over his remark that “Lord Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt”, which he later clarified was a “slip of the tongue”, BJP’s Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra has Tuesday apologised and said he would keep a fast for three days.
In a video message posted on X, Patra said, “There was a big roadshow of PM Narendra Modi on Sunday morning. It was a grand success. I was interviewed by multiple media channels after the roadshow. I have told everyone that Narendra Modi is an ardent bhakt of Lord Jagannath and that he greatly reveres Mahaprabhu Jagannath.”
It was by mistake, Patra said, that to one TV channel, he said just the opposite. “I said that Jagannath Modinka Bhakta (Lord Jagannaath is Modi’s bhakt). It’s a grave mistake, but there was no such thought in my heart. I seek forgiveness for this. We can’t even hurt Mahaprabhu unknowingly, and can’t say something like this about him,” said Patra.
“Since I mistakenly made this remark, I seek apology at his feet. I have decided to observe a fast as part of the apology,” the BJP leader said.
Lord Jagannath is revered across Odisha, which has a nearly 90 per cent Hindu population, and Puri is where the famous Shri Jagannath Temple is located. The Puri Lok Sabha constituency goes to the polls on May 25.
On Monday, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had condemned Patra’s remark. “Calling Mahaprabhu (Lord Jagannath) a bhakt of a human being is an insult to the Lord,” he said in a post on X.
Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal had also criticised the BJP over the issue.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has said the remark “reinforces our charge that the BJP, drunk with power, will not even spare our Gods, let alone India’s people”.
The youth wing of the Congress has also staged protests against Patra’s remarks in Bhubaneswar and accused Patra of violating the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct.
