Sankaracharya fumes over cancellation of Rath Yatra, says it’s ‘orchestrated plan’
The Shakaracharya of Puri Govardhan Peeth, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, on Sunday termed the stay order on Lord Jagannath’s Rath Yatra a ‘well-orchestrated plan’ to stop the annual event.
The seer, who is seen as the religious head of all Hindus, also urged Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik to immediately take a decision on the grand event that he said is “an inseparable temple ritual” and it must be conducted
The Sankaracharya’s statement is seen as a strong condemnation of the Patnaik government’s stand on Rath Yatra. The state government has endorsed the SC’s stay on the festival.
“On June 20, the Supreme Court could have accepted the review petitions on its June 18 order. The review petitioners submitted that the verdict was given based on wrong presentation of facts with regard to possible assembly of devotees. When no devotee is likely to visit during Rath Yatra for
Covid-19 restrictions, the court was told that 10 to
12 lakh devotees will gather. There are precedents of the apex court being opened and rulings given during vacations. But it did not happen on Saturday,” he said.
On June 18, the SC while hearing a petition by one Surendra Panigrahi had stayed
Rath Yatra.
Gajapati Maharaja Dibyasingha Deb of Puri had also on Saturday urged Odisha Chief Minister to re-consider the sensitive issue of stopping Puri Rath Yatra this year.
In a letter to the Chief Minister, he had requested the state government to approach the Supreme Court seeking partial modification of its June 18 order so that centuries-old festival can be conducted only at Puri as a special case.
The king also mentioned that the present Covid pandemic was not a situation which renders impossible the conduct of Rath Yatra, since as suggested by the Srimandir Managing Committee in its meeting on May 30, the Yatra in Puri can be held without any public congregation.
Meanwhile, multiple petitions, including one by BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra, have been filed in the Supreme Court in the past 24 hours seeking partial modification in the apex court's June 18 order.
The Sankaracharya’s statement is seen as a strong condemnation of the Patnaik government’s stand on Rath Yatra. The state government has endorsed the SC’s stay on the festival.