Puri Rath Yathra: Congress slams Odisha government over delay in chariot pulling rituals, Naveen Patnaik stops short of blaming BJP

Since Lord Jagannath is the reigning deity of Odisha, any issue of mismanagement in the deity's affairs, more so during the Puri Rath Yatra, would surely lead to a political debate. Odisha’s BJP government drew flak on Friday over the mismanagement of Puri Rath Yatra when three chariots of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra got stuck midway on Badadanda (Grand Road). All the chariots reached their destination Gundicha Mandir on Saturday.

On Friday, the commencement day of the Puri Rath Yatra, all three chariots could not be pulled to the temple as the first chariot, Taladhwaja, of Lord Balabhadra got stuck halfway on the road, blocking the movements of the other two. Even the Nandighosh chariot of Lord Jagannath was pulled a few metres to maintain the tradition. On Saturday, three sets of priests simultaneously performed the daily chores of the deities on their chariots, beginning with mangal arati, mailum, tadap lagi, abakash and offered bhog. They dressed the deities in new clothes.

The administration resumed pulling at 9.35 am. It was led by Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida, Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, DGP YB Khurania. Devotees pulled the Taladhwaja chariot, first clearing the way for Darpadalana chariot of Devi Subhadra and Nandighosh chariot of Lord Jagannath. Despite the initial hiccup, the the second day saw a large number devotees participate in the pulling, turning Puri into a sea of rhythmic chants, conch sounds and divine fervour. All three chariots reached the Gundicha temple at 1.20 pm. The district officials were present along with Chief Administrator of Shree Jagannath Temple Administration. With chariots now stationed at Saradhabali, the deities will reside in Sri Gundicha temple before their grand return known as Bahuda Yatra on Bahuda Dashami day on July 5. Till then, the devotees will have darshans of the deities in their temporary abode.

Congress demands apology

Following the disruptions on Friday when the chariots got stuck, the Congress slammed the state government, with PCC President Bhakta Charan Das and former PCC President Niranjan Patnaik demanding that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati should apologise to the deities.

Biju Janata Dal President and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who also happens to be the Leader of Opposition in the Odisha assembly, voiced his profound dismay over the disarray witnessed during the festival. While refraining from directly blaming the administration, Patnaik’s statement reflected deep concern over recurring logistical failures. In a statement released from his hospital room at Mumbai where he had a spinal surgery on May 22, Patnaik said on Saturday, “We are not here to point fingers or blame the government for yesterday’s inordinate delay in pulling the Nandighosh chariot. But it is impossible not to voice our deep concern and anguish over how things unfolded during the most sacred event in our state.”

Patnaik recalled the distressing mishap of 2024 when Lord Balabhadra’s idol slipped during the Adapa Bije Pahandi procession, an incident that reverberated emotionally across Odisha. “And now this year, we witnessed Nandighosh chariot still standing at the Singhadwar till 7.45 pm, only to move a few metres before the day ended.” Patnaik, who had served as Odisha CM for 24 years continuously, emphasised the emotional toll it would have on lakhs of devotees who had travelled great distances for this spiritual experience. Calling for divine intercession and reflection, he concluded, “May Mahaprabhu Jagannath forgive all those responsible for the terrible mess that has overshadowed the divine festival this year. I hope it leads to deep introspection by the government.”

Gautam Adani in Puri

On Saturday, Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani and his family members arrived at the Gundicha Mandir site amid tight security. The temple and district administrations welcomed the family members who were presented with the sacred khandua. The family received darshan of each deity and offered prayers before visiting the free kitchen service organised jointly by the Adani Groip and ISKCON near Gundicha temple. Addressing the media, Adani said, “By the blessing of the Lord, I got everything. I prayed to God for the bright future of our country and the progress of Odisha.” Recalling that his conglomerate had earlier provided free food for the devotees during the Maha Kumbh Mela, Adani said the Group has engaged 5,000 volunteers to prepare and distribute food for the ongoing festival in Puri.

Later, Adani visited the Puri beach where his group sponsored many lifeguards in a bid to prevent drowning in the locality. Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries too opened free food centres for the first time on the occasion of Puri Rath Yatra while Vedanta group has been operating free food centres during the festival for past few years.

India