Chief of orissatoday.net, Sri Manoj Padhi has claimed that the Kandhamal communal riots could have been avoided had the Chief Minister of Orissa heed to progressive advice.
In a Press note issued from Plano,TX,United States of America, he has informed that in January 2006 he had attracted attention of the Chief Minister and law minister of Orissa to a board in the famous temple of Lord Jagannath at Puri wherein depicted is a notice that says, “Only Orthodox Hindu’s are allowed”. He had demanded that this notice board be immediately removed as it is discriminatory in tenor.
The Chief Minister had directed the State Law Department to collect opinion from the Sri Jagannath Temple Managing Committee on the issue. Accordingly the Law Department ad taken up the matter with the Temple Managing Committee, headed by Gajapati Dibyasingh Deb. The Law Department and the Temple Management Committee agreed to a countrywide opinion poll to decide on the proposal. A sub-committee had been formed to frame a suitable questionnaire, which was to be circulated among intellectuals, sadhus, mutt chiefs, senior sevayats and researchers all over the country. It was decided that their opinions, when received, will be discussed by the sub-committee before being passed on to the Temple Managing Committee for its final opinion, Padhi informs.
In December 2006, there was a month long controversy over entry of untouchables in to Keradagarh Jagannath temple leading to around 1000 lower caste Hindu’s embracing Buddhism in protest against caste discrimination. But the CM as well as Minister, Law did not act diligently to do away with the caste discrimination notice board from the polestar temple at Puri as a result of which rival religion preachers have found congenial climate to convert low caste Hindus into their casteless outfits, Padhi has claimed.
Mr. Padhi, frustrated by the attitude of the state Government, has initiated a public awareness poll at his blog portal www.HindToday.com. He is hopeful that, probably the Government will open its eye, after the recent communal riots in Kandhamal district. He appeals to all concerned citizens to support and endorse this initiative to put a permanent halt to the caste-discrimination, which is not sanctioned by Hindu religion, but a man made tradition. As per Hindu epic Ramayana, Lord Ram, one of the incarnations of Lord Vishnu, had accepted food from a tribal lady. Apparently, this discrimination is man made and hence must be stopped by Government, he has reminded the CM of Orissa.