BJP Vs Odisha Government Over YouTuber's Jagannath Temple Video

The ruling BJD and opposition BJP on Friday engaged in a fight on X over social media influencer Kamiya Jani's entry into the Jagannath Temple in Puri for making a video on the shrine.

While the BJP charged the ruling BJD leader and former bureaucrat V K Pandian with facilitating the entry of Ms Jani, who is accused of promoting beef consumption on a YouTube channel, into the temple, the ruling party said she was earlier engaged by top BJP leaders to make films on Hindu heritage and temples.

The BJP had on Thursday also raised questions on how a “promoter of beef consumption” was granted access to the 12th-century shrine, where entry of non-Hindus is prohibited.

Taking to X, BJD MP Manas Mangaraj questioned Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the ‘unnecessary' issue involving Kamiya Jani.

"She has gone to Char Dham and Ayodhya Ram Temple to see Ram Lalla too. And all of you love her for it and posted on your social media (handles)," Mr Mangaraj said.

Mr Mangaraj, also the media advisor to the Odisha government, attached screenshots of photos of Kamia Jani, shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Dharmendra himself.

The BJD leader asked Mr Pradhan: "Please tell us what is your issue with her now. Or it's simply intolerance to the huge work completion for Sri Mandir that you are unable to bear?… This is really shameful that you yourself liked and promoted posts on Hindu temples and now for Sri mandir, you have a problem."

Soon after Mr Mangaraj's post, BJP MLA Lalitendu Bidyadhar Mohapatra, a close aide of Mr Pradhan, posted on X: “Mr Mangaraj, the more you try to hide the truth the more you expose it…Are you justifying the promotion of Mahaprasad by someone who is promoting beef?”

The video by Ms Jani highlighted Shree Jagannath's culture and also featured bureaucrat-turned-BJD leader VK Pandian speaking on the importance of 'Mahaprasad', the ongoing heritage corridor project and other aspects linked to temple development.

On Thursday, the BJD had maintained that Ms Jani had taken ‘Mahaprasad' at the Radha Ballav ‘Mutt' and not inside the temple premises as alleged.

The Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) has also denied the allegation of taking video cameras inside the temple premises.

"The allegation made by a certain political party about a YouTube influencer taking a camera to the temple premises is completely baseless. There is no truth in this. If anyone has any evidence, if they present it, it will be investigated and necessary action will be taken," the SJTA said in an X post.

Kamiya Jani has also defended her Jagannath Temple visit in an Instagram post saying: "As an Indian, my mission is to take Indian culture and heritage to the world. I have been visiting all the Jyotirlingas and char dhams of India and what a privilege it's been."

"Woke up to this strange article in the newspaper questioning my visit to Jagannath temple. Not that anyone has reached out to me but just here to clarify that I don't and have never eaten Beef. Jai Jagannath," she said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)