'Slip of tongue': BJP's Sambit Patra on 3-day fast over 'Lord Jagannath is devotee of PM Modi' comment

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and  Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra has issued an unconditional apology following a controversial "slip of the tongue" regarding Lord Jagannath. After facing backlash for his remarks, the BJP leader announced he would undertake a three-day fast starting Tuesday (May 21) as penance.

The controversy erupted when Patra, speaking to reporters on a local television channel on Monday, mistakenly said, "Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi." However, the BJP leader later clarified that he meant to say that PM Modi is an ardent devotee of Lord Jagannath.

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Expressing regret, Patra took to social media and said, "For this mistake, I apologize at the feet of Lord Sri Jagannath. I will fast for the next three days to atone for this mistake."

Patra explained that the error occurred during a media interaction on Monday, coinciding with PM Modi's roadshow in Puri. He intended to say 'Modi is a devotee of Lord Jagannath' but accidentally reversed the statement.

The BJP candidate's comment sparked significant controversy, with Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik condemning the statement and urging the BJP to keep Lord Jagannath out of political discourse.

Taking to X, Patnaik said, "Mahaprabhu Shree Jagannatha is the Lord of the Universe. Calling Mahaprabhu a 'bhakt' of another human being is an insult to the Lord... it is totally condemnable. This has hurt the sentiments and demeaned the faith of crores of Jagannatha bhaktas and Odias across the world."

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Patnaik stressed the cultural significance of Lord Jagannath to the people of Odisha and said, "The Lord is the greatest symbol of Odia asmita. I strongly denounce the statement... and I appeal to the BJP to keep the Lord above any political discourse. By this, you have deeply hurt Odia asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time."

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also condemned Patra's remark and said, "I strongly condemn this statement of the BJP. They have started thinking that they are above God. This is the height of arrogance. Calling God a 'bhakt' of Modi ji is an insult to God."