Bhubaneswar, July 30 -- The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) today demanded that Deputy Chief Minister Pravati Parida apologise to the people of Odisha over the alleged violation of temple protocol during Lord Jagannath's Niladri Bije ritual.
The party questioned the presence of Parida, BJP state president Manmohan Samal and MLA Ashrit Pattanayak at Goddess Mahalakshmi's Chahani Mandap, where only authorised servitors are permitted.
BJD spokesperson and media coordinator Dr. Lenin Mohanty alleged that the entry of the three BJP leaders into the Chahani Mandap during the sacred ritual amounted to a serious breach of long-established temple traditions and protocols.
He sought to know who had granted them "special permission" despite restri...