Naveen Patnaik slams Odisha govt over death of devotee during Bahuda Yatra

Bhubaneswar: Biju Janata Dal (BJD) president and Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik has slammed the Odisha government over the death of a devotee due to suffocation and a heavy crowd surge during the Bahuda Yatra in Puri.

The leader expressed grief over the death of the devotee and extended condolences to the family members of the deceased. He also prayed for the swift recovery of the injured.

The Former Chief Minister of Odisha has questioned the Government why such accidents keep occurring repeatedly during Rath Yatra.  He said that it feels as though this government has no inclination to learn from past mistakes.

He also accused the government for acting in a carefree and reactive manner and for not prioritizing the safe completion of the nine-day sacred journey of the Lords. Naveen cited that the government is handling the accidents and disruptions during the Rath Yatra using stopgap policy rather than learning from past errors.

At last he urged the the government to take extra precautions to ensure that the upcoming events like Suna Besha and Niladri Bije concludes without any disruptions and the devotees remain safe.

He wrote, “I am deeply saddened and heartbroken to learn of the tragic incident during Mahaprabhu’s Bahuda Yatra, where one devotee lost their life and many others were injured due to a stampede. I extend my deepest condolences to the family members of the deceased, along with prayers for the swift recovery of the injured.”

Then he posed questions for the government and wrote, “Yet, why do such accidents keep occurring repeatedly during Rath Yatra? Why is the government working in such a carefree manner? It is extremely concerning that the government does not seem to attach any importance to ensuring the safe completion of Mahaprabhu’s nine-day sacred journey.”

He admonished the government’s rigidity to learn from mistakes and stated, “It feels as though this government has no inclination to learn from past mistakes. One after another, accidents are happening every year during Rath Yatra—people are losing their lives, the state is being discredited—but there is no change whatsoever in the government’s approach. Rather than learning from errors, it seems like everything is being handled with a stopgap policy.”

“After how many more accidents will the government wake up? When such incidents occur every year, it is all the more unfortunate that the government learns nothing from them.

From Sunabesha to Niladri Bije, may the government take special care to ensure that the procession concludes without any disruptions. May the devotees who come for Mahaprabhu’s darshan not lose their lives untimely,” wrote the opposition leader at last.