On June 26, Ravinder Nath Pradhan, Secretary, Sree Neelachala Seva Sangha, Jagannath Temple, Hauz Khas, New Delhi, debunked the allegations of discrimination against President Droupadi Murmu. Speaking to OpIndia, Pradhan said he was informed about the misinformation on social media that the President was not allowed in Garbhgrih of the Temple as she belongs to the Scheduled Tribes community. He said, “There is no place for discrimination at Lord’s home. I felt appalled by the level of propaganda being spread online. I was informed about it yesterday. By spreading such lies, these elements are creating hurdles in future temple visits of the President.”
भगवान जगन्नाथ की रथ यात्रा के शुभारंभ के अवसर पर सभी देशवासियों, विशेष रूप से भगवान जगन्नाथ के श्रद्धालुओं को मैं हार्दिक बधाई और शुभकामनाएं देती हूं।
— President of India (@rashtrapatibhvn) June 20, 2023
मैं महाप्रभु जगन्नाथ से प्रार्थना करती हूं कि भक्ति और समर्पण का यह त्योहार, सभी के जीवन में सुख, शांति और समृद्धि लेकर आए।… pic.twitter.com/qfRIyWastZ
OpIndia had a detailed conversation with Pradhan on the matter. When questioned about President’s visit, he informed us that it was the day of Jagannath Yatra and happened to be President’s birthday too. “Though she could have come at the time of Yatra, President decided to come early to ensure her presence does not cause inconvenience to the devotees. It was her birthday too. Initially, she was supposed to do puja and leave in 5-10 minutes, but she stayed for 45 minutes. It was an honour for everyone here that the President visited the Temple and received blessings from Shri Jagannath.”
#WATCH | President Droupadi Murmu offers prayers at Jagannath Mandir in Hauz Khas, Delhi ahead of lord Jagannath Rath Yatra 2023 pic.twitter.com/sebK1Fq0Gt
— ANI (@ANI) June 20, 2023
We asked him about the misleading claims being spread on social media about the so-called discrimination. Debunking the allegations, he said, “It is a lie that President faced any discrimination at the Temple. Every year, Garhbhgrih is open only for 30 minutes to do Avahan of Bhagwan Jagannath for the Rath Yatra. It is a ritual that the chief guest participates in Avahan. Only Pujaris and chief guest is allowed to enter Garbhgrih for the puja and no one else.”
He added, “When President came, it was early morning. We followed every protocol while maintaining the regulations on the premises. She decided to stand outside the wooden plank and do the puja. We had arranged a chair for her for the puja, but she is a devotee of Bhagwan Jagannath. She firmly refused to use the chair and said either she would sit on the floor or do puja while standing there. Generally, there are six Pandits who perform puja, but only two are allowed to go close to her for the puja. The rest of them stay at a distance, as asked by her security personnel. Even I did not go close to her during puja. If she wanted, we would have obliged and let her enter Garbhgrih. After all, she is the President. But being an informed devotee, she did not ask for anything above the rules. If you are aware, she does not touch onion and garlic. This is the level of devotion she has for Bhagwan Jagannath.”
“She is our pride. She is Odisha’s pride. I do not understand where this discussion of discrimination came from,” Pradhan added. When asked about why other ministers were allowed in Garbhgrih, he said, “If you are talking about Delhi LG, Dharmendra Pradhan and others, they were chief guests on respective Yatras. As I said, in Puri, the King performs a puja and does Avahan of Bhagwan Jagannath for the Yatra. Here, our chief guest fulfils that duty. Whichever minister has photos while being in Garbhgrih, he was the chief guest of Yatra. To be honest, we follow our rules to the word. We do not even allow the family members of the temple administration to enter Garbhgrih. Many are unaware that Shaligram stones are placed under Bhagwan’s idols. It is unauspicious to touch those stones with your feet. How can we even think of doing that? There was a time when Pandits would allow devotees to enter Garbhgrih in Puri in exchange for money, but that was strictly stopped by the administration years ago. In our Temple in Delhi, we have never allowed anyone to go inside except Pandits for puja,” he added.
Pradhan said since he learned about the rumours, he has been praying to Bhagwan Jagannath to give wisdom to those indulging in such activities. He said, “I am afraid such rumours will cause a chain of events leading to the dismissal of any future temple visits of the President. Every temple administration will be honoured if the President visits the Temple. But do you think she would go if such rumours were being spread after her visit? It will be sad if President decides not to go to temples. Being a devotee, she should continue to visit temples.”
Pradhan said how humble the President is, “When she was leaving, there were few members of the temple administration and their family members standing at a distance. They requested a photograph of her. Without any hesitation, she called them. Though a few were missed as security only gave five minutes, it was possible only because she permitted the photograph. The entire time she was very humble to the staff.”
Propaganda against Jagannath Temple
President Murmu visited Jagannath Temple on June 20, 2023. Following her visit, rumours were spread like wildfire on social media that there was discrimination by the Temple administration. There have been claims that President was not allowed inside Garbhgrih while other ministers like Ashwini Vaishnaw and Dharmendra Pradhan were allowed to do puja inside Garbhgrih.
Propaganda Twitter handles The Dalit Voice published a post on June 25 and claimed Ashwini Vaishnaw was allowed inside Garbhgrih, but President Murmu was not.
Known for his propaganda posts, Dilip Mandal wrote, “In the Jagannath temple of Delhi, Union Minister Dr Pradhan is seen performing rituals inside and touching the idols. However, it is alarming that at the same Temple, President Draupadi Murmu, the esteemed first citizen of the Indian Republic, was obliged to perform her prayers from the outside. This situation requires clarification, and appropriate action should be taken against the priests involved.”
Founder of DNN Hindi and journalist Vaibhav Kumar said, “Ashwini Vaishnav and Dharmendra Pradhan can enter the sanctum sanitarium of the Delhi Jagannath Mandir in Hauz khas but a wooden barrier for President Draupadi Murmu. Caste defines your status in India; everything else doesn’t count.”
None of them tried to talk to the temple administration to clarify the matter and indulged in anti-Hindu propaganda. They used photographs of Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan from the 2021 and 2020 Rath Yatra to support their claims.
केंद्रीय मंत्री @AshwiniVaishnaw उसी मंदिर में। https://t.co/bnmCBAADpt
— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) June 25, 2023
धर्मेंद्र प्रधान मंदिर में देवताओं के पास। https://t.co/aTBzlei1g4
— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) June 25, 2023
In both cases, as told by Pradhan, the ministers were chief guests and performed Puja for the Avahan of Bhagwan Jagannath. In Puri, this puja is performed by the King. However, in other Jagannath Temples where Rath Yatra happens, the chief guest performs the puja. Only those who perform puja on the day of Rath Yatra are allowed to enter Garbhgrih for a 30-minute window. The wooden plank is placed again once the puja is done. “If President Murmu had reached the Temple at the time of Avahan, she would have done the Puja inside Garbhgrih,” said Pradhan.
