"Those who laid hands at Ratna Bhandar...": Amit Shah attacks BJD govt over 'missing keys' controversy

Jajpur (Odisha) [India], May 28 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah hit out at Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and accused BJD of looting the Jagannath Temple's Ratna Bhandaar and vowed to bring corrupt officials to justice if BJP comes to power in the state.

He said that those who have “laid hands” on it will be sent to jail.

The matter pertains to the controversy surrounding the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar of 12th century Jagannath Temple, which are officially “lost” according to the Odisha government.

Jagannath Temple is the most revered temple in the state. The temple’s treasury is termed as ‘Ratna Bhandar’. According to the rules and practices of the temple; the gold, jewels, and other offerings made by the public to ‘Jagannath Mahaprabhu’ are stored in this Ratna Bhandar.

In April 2018, officials of the Temple could not find the keys of the Ratna Bhandar, situated near the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, as they proceeded to do an inspection of its structural condition as per an order of the Orissa high court. Following a hue and cry, Patnaik ordered a judicial inquiry into the matter and the commission submitted a 324-page report in November 2018.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has been attacking Naveen Patnaik and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) government over the issue accusing it of ‘suppressing’ the report of the judicial commission.

Addressing a public meeting in Odisha’s Jajpur on Tuesday, Amit Shah said, “The investigation report of Mahaprabhu's Ratna Bhandar should be made public. I want to ask Naveen Babu, where are the real keys of Mahaprabhu's Ratna Bhandar? You have to tell the people, have you made the duplicate keys or not? Whether Ratna Bhandar was opened or not, and where did the treasure go?

“The amount of money people have donated for Ratna Bhandar, belongs to Maha Prabhu only and those who lay their hands on it, will be sent behind bars if BJP comes to power in Odisha,” he added.

He attacked the Patnaik government over BJD leader VK Pandian and asked if a Tamil person could become the Chief Minister of Odisha. He also promised that the BJP would work to bring back the whole public money from the alleged Chit Fund scam.

“After Naveen Babu, we need a CM who can speak Odia, who can carry forward the tradition of Lord Jagannath...do you want an Odia CM or a Tamil CM?” Shah said.

“Once BJP comes to power, no one will have to go outside the state to work as a labourer. We will work to bring back each and every penny of the Chit Fund in the next 18 months…will Naveen Babu send the culprits to jail? If BJP comes, we will turn the culprit upside down and send them to jail,” he added.

The Home Minister further alleged that Naveen Patnaik and VK Pandian “stopped” the Odia people from celebrating the Pran Pratishtha of Ayodhya Ram Mandir. Shah also promised that the BJP would give the state a young Odia-speaking Chief Minister.

“PM Modi made the Ram Mandir after a long wait of 500 years. When the entire country was celebrating 'Ram Mahotsav', this Odia CM Naveen Babu and his Tamil Babu - who is going to be his political heir - tried to stop the Odia people. Tell me, can those who stopped 'Ram Bhakts' be brought back to power? Can a person from Tamil Nadu be the Chief Minister of Odisha? Narendra Modi will give you an Odia-speaking young CM who is a resident of Odisha. PM Narendra Modi will give Odisha a Chief Minister who is from here and speaks Odia,” he further said.

The assembly and Lok Sabha elections in Odisha are taking place simultaneously, in four phases, from May 13 to June 1. The counting of votes will be held on June 4.

In the last assembly elections in 2019, the BJD won 112 out of 146 seats. BJP won 23 seats and Congress got nine seats.

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD mopped up the lion's share of the electoral spoils, with the BJP and the Congress bringing up the rear. The BJD won 12 seats, the BJP finished a close second at 8, and the Congress bagged just a lone seat. (ANI)