New Delhi:

BJP leader Sambit Patra found himself in the eye of a political storm following an unfortunate slip of the tongue. During an interaction with media after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Odisha’s Puri yesterday, Mr Patra suggested that Lord Jagannath, the revered deity of the ancient town, is a devotee of PM Modi. This gaffe has ignited a fierce backlash from political rivals, especially from Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal (BJD).

The incident occurred in the sweltering heat and chaos following PM Modi’s roadshow. Mr Patra in his clarifications has said that he had aimed to highlight PM Modi’s devotion to Lord Jagannath but mistakenly stated, “Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt.” The comment, captured on camera, immediately stirred controversy, drawing ire from multiple quarters. The political fallout as a result of Mr Patra’s remarks has prompted the BJP leader to undertake a period of “upvaas” (fasting) in atonement.

READ | Sambit Patra’s “Slip Of Tongue” That Found A New ‘Bhakt’ For PM Modi

“Today, a statement made by me had created a controversy. After PM Narendra Modi’s roadshow in Puri, I gave byte to many media channels and everywhere I said the same thing, that PM Narendra Modi is an ardent devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannath… In the end, when another channel took my byte, it was extremely hot, crowded and noisy. Unknowingly, while giving the byte, I said the opposite, that Mahaprabhu is a devotee of PM Narendra Modi. This can never be true, and a person in his senses can never say such things that god is a devotee of a human. I have made this mistake unintentionally. I know some people must have been hurt but even god forgives mistakes made unintentionally… I need to seek forgiveness from Mahaprabhu Jagannath for this slip of the tongue and I have decided to do a ‘upvaas’,” Mr Patra said.

आज महाप्रभु श्री जगन्नाथ जी को लेकर मुझसे जो भूल हुई है, उस विषय को लेकर मेरा अंतर्मन अत्यंत पीड़ित है।

मैं महाप्रभु श्री जगन्नाथ जी के चरणों में शीश झुकाकर क्षमा याचना करता हूँ। अपने इस भूल सुधार और पश्चाताप के लिए अगले 3 दिन मैं उपवास पर रहूँगा।

जय जगन्नाथ।

ଆଜି ଶ୍ରୀ… pic.twitter.com/rKavOxMjIq

— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) May 20, 2024

The reaction from Naveen Patnaik was swift and sharp. The Odisha Chief Minister condemned Mr Patra’s statement in a scathing social media post, saying that such remarks insult the sanctity of ‘Mahaprabhu’ Jagannath and hurt the sentiments of millions of devotees. He urged the BJP to refrain from dragging the deity into political discourse, a sentiment echoed by other opposition leaders.

“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Mr Patnaik wrote.

Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe.

Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world.

The Lord is the greatest Symbol of…

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) May 20, 2024

The controversy quickly gained momentum, with leaders from various parties joining the chorus of condemnation. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi criticised the BJP’s perceived arrogance, suggesting that such statements indicate a dangerous level of self-aggrandisement within the party. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal echoed these sentiments, calling Mr Patra’s statement a height of arrogance and an “insult to God”.

The Congress, BJD, and AAP capitalised on the uproar, with the Congress demanding an apology from Prime Minister Modi himself. “Sambit Patra, who is immersed in Modi Bhakti, should not have committed this sin. Narendra Modi should apologise for this disgusting statement,” stated the Congress’s official communication.

Amid the escalating backlash, Mr Patra took to social media to clarify his statement. He explained that it was an inadvertent slip of the tongue, a mistake made under the strain of the moment. “I gave a number of bytes today to multiple media channels…by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite. I know you too know and understand this. Sir, let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue. We all have a slip of the tongue sometimes,” Mr Patra wrote directly to Chief Minister Patnaik, seeking to defuse the situation.

Despite Mr Patra’s apology, opposition parties remained unyielding. The Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) lodged a formal complaint, alleging that Mr Patra’s statement was a deliberate attempt to insult religious sentiments. They accused him of violating the model code of conduct and called for strict action.

This controversy unfolds as Odisha heads into a crucial phase of the elections, with Patra’s gaffe potentially influencing voter sentiment. The BJP, which is striving to make significant inroads in the state, now faces the challenge of mitigating the fallout from this incident.

 

New Delhi:

The BJP’s Sambit Patra landed in a row today over a comment that hugely offended Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. As Odisha voted for the Lok Sabha and a new assembly in the Fifth Phase of election, Mr Patra told reporters that the Lord Jagannath, the presiding deity of Puri, “is Modi’s bhakt”. When the Chief Minister shot off an angry protest, Mr Patra issued a clarification, saying it was a “slip of tongue”.

“Lakhs of people have gathered here to see PM Modi. Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt and we are all PM Modi’s family. I cannot control my emotions and I think today is a momentous day for all Odias,” said Mr Patra, who is the candidate from Puri.

It drew an immediate condemnation from Naveen Patnaik, who is hoping for a sixth consecutive term in the state.

“Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world,” Mr Patnaik posted on social media.

“The Lord is the greatest Symbol of Odia Asmita. Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is totally condemnable. I strongly denounce the statement made by the BJP Puri Lok Sabha candidate and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this you have deeply hurt Odia Asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time,’ his post read.

Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of Universe.

Calling Mahaprabhu a bhakt of another human being is an insult to the Lord. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world.

The Lord is the greatest Symbol of…

— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) May 20, 2024

Congress’s Supriya Shrinate also joined issue, posting, “Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Modi… What has happened to the BJP people? Such an insult to our beloved God? this arrogance will come to an end”.

Mr Patra issued a clarification.

“I gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of Shri Narendra Modiji’s Road Show in Puri today, everywhere I mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake during one of the bytes I pronounced just the opposite ..I know you too know and understand this ..Sir let’s not make an issue out of a nonexistent issue ..we all have “slip of tongue sometimes,” his post read.

Naveen Ji Namaskar!
I gave number of bytes today to multiple media channels after the massive success of Shri Narendra Modiji’s Road Show in Puri today, everywhere I mentioned that Modi ji is an ardent “Bhakt” of Shri Jagannath Mahaprabhu ..by mistake during one of the bytes I… https://t.co/6Q1Kuj5E6O

— Sambit Patra (Modi Ka Parivar) (@sambitswaraj) May 20, 2024

But the wave of outrage continued.

A post by Kerala Congress read, “Sambit Patra says that Prabhu Jagannath is a Bhakth of Modi. @sambitswaraj, God sends no one away empty, except those who are full of themselves”.

“According to Sambit Patra – “Modi’s bhakt is Jagannath”.. It’s a direct attack on Odia Asmita…… We want Sambit to apologies with folded hands in front of National Media and Each and every citizen of Odisha.  It’s very derogatory… You should mind your language,” Odisha Congress posted on X.

On social media, many demanded a public apology from the BJP leader. 

New Delhi:

The BJP on Friday took a swipe at the Congress over the opposition INDIA bloc’s decision to boycott 14 broadcast media anchors, saying shunning media or any other institution will do it no good and the party can only benefit by boycotting Rahul Gandhi as he has no strength.

There is no institution in India that this opposition alliance has not attacked, be it the Election Commission or courts, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra told reporters.

All of them are doing their work well, he said before targeting Rahul Gandhi.

“If there is someone who is not up to it and who the Congress should indeed boycott for its own benefit, then his name is Rahul Gandhi… Your leader has no strength. Who all will you boycott? If you have to boycott and move ahead, then boycott your leader.” The Congress leader speaks about ‘Mohabbat’ (love) but sells ‘Nafrat’ (hate), he claimed.

Sambit Patra asked if the list of journalists that the opposition alliance will boycott is more of a “target list”, indicating that they will be slapped with criminal cases and will not be spared. If they are targeted by some people, including members of these parties, then who will be responsible, he posed.

Hitting out at the opposition for Congress leader Saifuddin Soz’s and National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah’s pitch for talks with Pakistan, he said the remarks came soon after the death of security officials in an encounter with terrorists in Kashmir and added that the INDIA bloc should boycott leaders like them than journalists.

Soz has asked the Union government to try to understand the minds of militants, he said, condemning the Congress leader. It is such a painful and unfortunate statement, he added.

Sambit Patra said that the Congress has a history of going after the media, citing the first amendment brought by Jawaharlal Nehru to curb absolute freedom of expression, the Emergency announced by Indira Gandhi and the defamation law proposed by Rajiv Gandhi.

Congress leaders questioned the existence of Lord Ram while the likes of Bihar minister and RJD leader Chandra Shekhar targeted Ramchairtmanas. These leaders are not boycotted but journalists questioning these parties about corruption in states ruled by them and saying “good things” about G20 and India are boycotted, he said.

“Netas can raise questions on God but journalists can’t question these netas,” Sambit Patra said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)