Bhubaneswar (Odisha): BJP candidate from Puri Lok Sabha seat, Sambit Patra has apologised for his "Lord Jagannath is a devotee (bhakt) of Prime Minister Narendra Modi" remark in Odisha.
During an interaction with media after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's roadshow in Odisha's Puri on Monday, Patra said that Lord Jagannath, the revered deity of the ancient town, is a devotee of PM Modi.
The remark stirred a major row in the state, with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reacting sharply and saying it "deeply hurt Odia asmita and this will be remembered and condemned by people of Odisha for a very long time."
Following the backlash, Patra apologised for his words and said it was an "unintentional mistake". He said he needed to seek forgiveness from Mahaprabhu Jagannath for this slip of the tongue and has decided to observe a fast.
"Today, a statement made by me had created a controversy. After PM Narendra Modi's roadshow in Puri, I gave byte to many media channels and everywhere I said the same thing, that PM Narendra Modi is an ardent devotee of Mahaprabhu Jagannath... In the end, when another channel took my byte, it was extremely hot, crowded and noisy. Unknowingly, while giving the byte, I said the opposite, that Mahaprabhu is a devotee of PM Narendra Modi. This can never be true, and a person in his senses can never say such things that god is a devotee of a human. I have made this mistake unintentionally. I know some people must have been hurt, but even god forgives mistakes made unintentionally...I need to seek forgiveness from Mahaprabhu Jagannath for this slip of the tongue and I have decided to do an 'upvaas'," he said.
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