Sambit Patra’s ‘Slip of Tongue’ on Lord Jagannath Ignites Controversy; Opposition’s Reactions

Sambit Patra, the Puri candidate for the Bharatiya Janata Party, caused a great deal of controversy when he claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a devotee (bhakt) of Odisha’s venerated god, Lord Jagannath. Notable figures including Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, and Naveen Patnaik chastised the BJP for this comment. Afterwards, Sambit Patra called it a “slip of the tongue.”

Sambit Patra made a comment on a local TV news channel that the Congress aired a video of him speaking in Odia, denouncing it and calling on Prime Minister Modi to apologise.

Opposition leaders denounced the comment as a “insult” to Lord Jagannath, despite Sambit Patra’s apology and admission that “we all have a slip of the tongue sometimes.”

Reactions to Sambit Patra’s Comment:

Naveen Patnaik: In an X post, the chief minister of Odisha criticised Sambit Patra for inflicting harm on Odia ‘asmita’ (pride). “The Lord of the Universe is Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha,” he declared. It is completely unacceptable to refer to Mahaprabhu as a “bhakt” of another person. This is an affront to the Lord. Across the world, this has offended and denigrated the beliefs of millions of Odias and Jagannatha bhaktas.” Patnaik emphasised that the people of Odisha will remember and condemn this for a very long time, and he encouraged the BJP to keep the Lord above political debate.

Mallikarjun Kharge: The Congress chief said the remark reinforces the idea that the BJP, intoxicated with power, will not spare even the Gods. He condemned the comment as an insult to Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha and predicted that arrogance will be destroyed by the “Will of the People” on June 4th.

Rahul Gandhi: The senior Congress leader criticized Prime Minister Narendra Modi, suggesting that considering himself an emperor and his courtiers seeing him as God signals an imminent downfall. Gandhi questioned the BJP’s right to hurt the sentiments of millions, attributing their ego to their downfall.

Arvind Kejriwal: The Delhi Chief Minister condemned Sambit Patra’s statement, alleging it reflected the “arrogance” of BJP leaders. He remarked that thinking they are above God and calling God a bhakt of Modi is an insult to God.

Ajoy Kumar: The AICC in-charge of Odisha also condemned the statement, stating that neither the country nor Odisha will tolerate this insult to Lord Jagannath. He questioned the media and Hindutva organizations’ silence on the issue.

Sambit Patra’s Clarification:

Sambit Patra later clarified that he meant to say the Prime Minister was an ardent ‘bhakt’ (devotee) of Lord Jagannath, not the reverse. Responding to Naveen Patnaik’s post, Patra explained that he had made an error during one of his media interactions, emphasizing that it was a slip of the tongue and urging not to make an issue out of it.