The political impasse in Odisha seems to have turned raging with the Biju Janata Dal-led government blaming the Center for opposing the state’s ordinance, which aims to pique the interest of devotees for peripheral changes to the Lingaraj temple in Bhubaneswar. To do. The Congress has also accused the Center of opposing the ordinance, while the BJP maintains that development activities should be as per law.
So, which state government ordinance is the central government opposing?
The Odisha government has proposed in the ordinance to bring the 11th-century Lingaraj temple and eight other temples under the control of a 15-member committee with a Hindu IAS officer in the form of administration similar to that of the Jagannath temple.
The Union Home Ministry, in a letter to Chief Secretary Suresh Chandra Mohapatra, has sought clarification on the ordinance covering 12 centrally protected monuments, including the Lingaraj temple and three ponds. The Center is of the opinion that this is outside the “legislative competence” of the state legislature and may lead to conflict with the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Sites and Remains Act, 1958 (AMASR Act). The Center also said that the AMASR Act prohibits new construction within 100 meters of a protected monument. Presently, the Lingaraja Temple is governed by the Odisha Hindu Religious Endowment Act, 1951.
The ruling BJD has questioned the intention of the BJP-led central government. Issuing the letter, the Naveen Patnaik-led state government said that it has started the development work keeping in mind the interest of the devotees.
Ekmra MLA and Minister Ashok Chandra Panda has justified this move of the state government, and asked if development works can be done in Kashi Vishwanath, Somnath and Kedarnath temples, then why not the Lingaraj temple? Panda said the state government has already clarified to the Center on the ordinance and if need be, it will clarify once again.
Meanwhile, Congress MLA Suresh Kumar Routre said the central government should discuss the issue and resolve it “as soon as possible” as the work should not hamper the interest of the devotees.
In response, BJP Odisha President Sameer Mohanty said that his party is not against development, but the law of the land should not be violated. “The state government should do all the work as per the provisions of the Constitution,” Mohanty said.
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