Bhubaneswar, July 25 -- Odisha's ruling BJP on Saturday launched a sharp attack on the Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD), accusing it of indulging in "despicable and petty politics" over the Jagannath Rath Yatra and attempting to politicise the recent incidents associated with the annual festival.
BJP State General Secretary Biranchi Narayan Tripathy alleged that the BJD had no moral authority to comment either on the conduct of the Rath Yatra or on the judicial commission of inquiry sought by the Opposition.
Tripathy claimed that it was the BJD government which had attempted to halt the Rath Yatra during the COVID-19 pandemic. He said the centuries-old festival was ultimately conducted only after the intervention of the BJP-led Central Go...