Since its inauguration in April this year, the replica of the Odisha’s Jagannath temple constructed by Mamata government in Digha, West Bengal, has consistently been at the centre of controversies, with the latest one involving the temple prasad.
The BJP has accused the West Bengal government of entrusting the task of preparing the prasad of the temple to Muslim-owned shops. BJP IT Cell Head, Amit Malviya slammed the Mamata government on Tuesday (17th June) saying that the government was “trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal”. Malviya shared a document on X showing a list of names of shops that he claimed were owned by Muslims.
Malviya said that these shops owned by Muslims were involved in preparing Gaja and Pera, sweets being distributed as prasad from the Digha Jagannath temple. “In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers — majority of them Muslim — have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are being labelled as Prabhu Jagannath Dev’s sacred prasad. This is not just administrative carelessness. This is a deliberate provocation,” Malviya said.
Mamata Banerjee is trampling on Hindu sentiments with impunity in West Bengal!
In the Suti 1 Block of Murshidabad district, sweet shops and ration dealers — majority of them Muslim — have reportedly been entrusted with the preparation and distribution of Gaja and Pera, which are… https://t.co/NVU921fPQ6 pic.twitter.com/zhnIRB4PL8— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) June 19, 2025
Malviya pointed out while the original Jagannath temple in Puri, Odisha does not allow the entry of non-Hindus, the Mamata government was violating the sanctity of the temple by distributing prasad prepared by Muslims. “In Puri, even today, non-Hindus are not allowed to enter the Jagannath Temple – such is the sanctity attached to the Lord and His traditions. And yet, in Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, prasad meant for devotees of Lord Jagannath is being sourced from shops run by those who do not even follow the faith!,” Malviya added.
Earlier this month, Leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, had called out the Mamata government for distributing sweets from local shops in the name of Jagannath temple prasad. The West Bengal government has been distributing prasad through its ‘Duare Sarkar’ scheme of doorstep delivery of ration under the Public Distribution System.
“All District Magistrates were ordered to distribute prasad through Duare ration. The boxes of sweets being bought from the local sweet shop is basically demeaning Hindu dharma,” Adhikari said adding that the TMC government allocated ₹20 for a packet of prasad.
Responding to BJP’s attack, senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim described it “mean thinking” and called Adhikari and atheist. “Bhagawan is for everyone and his prasad is also for everyone. This whole world is created by God and if a prasad is for him, then it is for everyone. One who is willing will accept it, and one like Suvendu Adhikari, who is an atheist, will not accept it,” Hakim said.