Digha Jagannath Temple row: How Mamata govt is gaining upper hand over BJP

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) appears to be getting a political upper hand over the BJP in terms of competitive Hindu politics over the consecration of a newly-built Jagannath temple in West Bengal’s Digha.

Also read: Explained: Why replica of the Puri Jagannath temple in Bengal has triggered a row?

The party’s cause is set to get a further fillip following the accusation by Odisha’s BJP government that its Bengal counterpart is trying to appropriate the spiritual legacy of the Jagannath Dham, a 12th century shrine, in Puri.

'We are not beggars': Mamata

The TMC promptly seized the opportunity to add an ethnic narrative to its Hindutva push, giving a new twist to the ongoing temple controversy.

The Odisha government first waded into the controversy by ordering a probe into the allegation that the idols of the newly built temple were crafted from the sacred neem wood “stolen” from Puri’s Jagannath temple.

Also read: Odisha: Servitor gets notice over use of Puri temple wood to make idols in Digha shrine

The allegation was found to be baseless after Shree Jagannath Temple Administration of Puri conducted a “detailed investigation” into the source of the wood used for making the idols.

The finding has given Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on a platter an opportunity to play the victim card.

Jagannath Temple row: Mamata rubbishes ‘stolen wood’ claim, expresses respect for Puri

"We are not beggars, not pickpockets. We are not thieves,” Banerjee thundered, referring to the allegation, at a government programme at Murshidabad district on Tuesday (May 6).

“Not for nothing that she used the pronoun, 'we' to denote the victims. It is to imply that the entire community has been maligned,” pointed out senior journalist Probir Pramanik.

“They (BJP leaders) are accusing me of stealing neem wood. I challenge them to prove it…. People will give a befitting reply," she went on to add.

BJP's Dilip Ghosh attends temple opening

The BJP started on the wrong foot ever since the Rs 250-crore temple spread over 20 acres of land in Digha was inaugurated on April 30.

The rift in the party on how to respond to Banerjee’s attempt to steal its Hindutva agenda was exposed on the very inaugural day.

Former BJP state president Dilip Ghosh attended the inaugural function with his wife and exchanged pleasantries with the chief minister even as most of his party colleagues stayed away from it.

Many BJP leaders chose the day to embark on a drive to purify and renovate nine temples allegedly desecrated and damaged during the recent communal clashes in minority-dominated Murshidabad district.

BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar and leader of the opposition Suvendu Adhikari gave the function a miss to weave a narrative that the TMC’s temple push was just an eyewash. They alleged that the state government was tom-tomming the temple inauguration to hide its failure to protect the “persecution of Hindus.”

Ghosh is however, of the view that the BJP has done a mistake by distancing itself from the Digha temple.

Another BJP leader and MP Khagen Murmu said the temple was a good initiative of the chief minister as it will draw devotees from across the country. Building a temple should always be welcomed, he told The Federal.

“People will not buy this narrative that a temple is good when it is inaugurated by Modiji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) and it is bad when inaugurated by Mamata Banerjee. Today, the TMC is forced to construct a temple, this is our (BJP’s) ideological victory. Why should we be pussyfooting in claiming it?” Ghosh observed.

BJP continues tirade against temple

Far from claiming credit, most BJP leaders continue their tirade against the temple, drawing “hypocrite” barbs from the TMC.

“The BJP claims to be a 'Hinduwadi' party, and yet it objects to the consecration of the temple. That shows the desperation,” TMC spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar told the media.

"Why so much jealousy? They issued a notification asking people not to visit Digha temple. Most of the people who visit Puri are from Bengal. We all love Puri," the chief minister said in an oblique reference to the controversy raked up by the Odisha government.

"What is the harm if we establish a Jagannath Dham in Digha?" she asked, adding in the same breath, "People are thrashed (in Odisha and other BJP-ruled states) for speaking in Bengali."

She was referring to the recent attacks on Bengali-speaking migrant labourers dubbing them as Bangladeshis. Banerjee entwined the two issues in a bid to invoke Bengali pride.

Another political misstep of the BJP was triumphant claims made by its IT cell chief, Amit Malviya and senior leader Adhikari that the Bengal government was forced to remove the word “dham” from the name of the newly inaugurated temple complex.

A temporary roadside ‘Jagannath Dham’ signage put up on the way to the temple premises in Digha was removed, prompting the BJP leaders to claim “victory.”

The BJP has been objecting to the use of the word “dham”, as it is used to refer to the four most important pilgrimage centres of Hinduism. Jagannath temple in Odisha’s Puri is among the four “dhams.” The others being Badrinath, Dwarka and Rameshwaram.

Odisha BJP President Manmohan Samal reiterated the party’s objection to the use of the word for the Digha temple.

“There is no ambiguity that Jagannath Dham is in Puri, and so it is wrong to refer to the Digha temple Dham,” he was quoted as saying by Odisha media on Tuesday.

Servitors of the Puri temple too have joined the protest over the use of 'dham' in the name of the Digha temple.

Malviya's claim

Earlier, Malviya claimed, "After strong protests from devotees of Lord Jagannath, the West Bengal government was forced to quietly remove the misleading 'Dham' signage in Digha. This is a significant victory for Hindu unity and a setback to Mamata Banerjee's divisive agenda. When Hindus stand united, no political manipulation can succeed. Jai Jagannath!"

The celebration was short-lived. Dismissing the claim that the word “dham” has been dropped from the name of the temple site, East Midnapore Police sharing pictures of the signages said: “Rumours are being spread from certain corners that under pressure from various groups, the Government of West Bengal has removed different signage of Shri Digha Jagannath Dham. Pls see for yourself. This is blatantly false (sic).”

“Jagannath Dham Digha remains one of the most revered sites for the devotees and pilgrims. We would request devotees to not get misled by false propaganda by people of vested interests,” the district police said, adding, “Strict Legal action will be taken against rumour mongers and fake news peddlers.”

It is clear from the police’s statement that the TMC government is in no mood to budge on the controversy over the name.

Instead, the party is upping its ante on the issue, knowing the BJP is caught on the wrong foot.