In Puri, it's 'only Jagannath', not Ram temple. Modi matters, but Naveen Patnaik still holds sway

Puri: When Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the heritage corridor around Puris 12th-century Jagannath temple on 17 January, just five days ahead of the Ram Mandir consecration in Ayodhya by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the symbolism of the move was not lost on most.. Puri is the land of the Jagannath, and the temple city holds immense symbolic significance culturally and politically for the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD)..

In this backdrop, as the Ram templepran pratishthacreated a charged atmosphere ahead of election season, many saw the grand inauguration of the 75 metres-long Jagannath temple heritage corridor as an attempt by the ruling BJD to preempt the BJPs Hindutva agenda in Odisha...

Its also why the Ram temple consecration ceremony does not have much resonance among the people here.. Besides the Jagannath temple heritage corridor, the Patnaik-led BJD government has also taken up the upgradation of the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar, Chandi temple in Cuttack, Samaleshwari temple in Sambalpur, and the Nrusinghanath temple in Bargarh, among others. t ..

Its going to be a tough contest between BJD candidate Arup Patnaik and BJPs Sambit Patra, he said.. Satpathy said it was a clever strategy for the BJD to go for temple upgrade and beautification projects, with which it has seen some success..

Asked if the BJDs temple beautification projects were an attempt to counter the BJPs Hindutva agenda, Arup Patnaik, the partys Puri candidate, said Naveen Patnaik is not the kind to indulge in such gimmicks for a checkmate. he will never do it..

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