Puri Jagannath Temple administration did not deny entry to Mamata Banerjee yesterday - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
April 20, 2021
A post is being widely shared on social media with a claim that Mamata Banerjee has not been allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday, and she returned without having the darshan of the lord. It is being claimed that the temple administration told her that only Hindus can enter the temple and she is not a Hindu. In the post, it can also be read that she was not allowed as she eats beef and supports those who eat beef. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: Mamata Banerjee has not been allowed to enter Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. The temple administration told her that she is not a Hindu.
Fact: There are no such reports about her visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. While a few priests opposed her visit to the temple in 2017, her visit to the temple was welcomed by other priests and the temple administration. She also visited the temple in 2020. Hence the claim made in the post is FALSE.
When we searched about Mamata’s visit to the temple yesterday, no recent reports were found about her visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple. If Mamata Banerjee had indeed visited the Puri Jagannath temple and the temple administration denied her entry, then all the prominent news agencies would have reported about the incident. But there is no information about the occurrence of any such incident recently.
However, a similar incident was reported in April 2017. A few priests opposed her visit to the temple in 2017 as they were angry with her alleged support to beef consumption. The priests who threatened to oppose her visit were then detained by the Police and she visited the temple. Some news agencies have reported in 2017 that the then chief administrator of Shri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), Suresh Mohapatra said – “All sevayat communities of Shri Jagannath Temple welcome Mamata Banerjee to visit the shrine and seek the blessings of the Lord”. The reports about her visit to the temple in 2017 can be seen here and here.
Mamata Banerjee has also visited the temple in February 2020. There are also news reports about Puri temple priests performing puja at Mamata’s residence in February 2021.
Also, on 19 April 2021 (the day mentioned in the post), the live video of Mamata’s public meeting at Chakulia (Uttar Dinajpur) and the video of her press conference at Malda can be seen posted on the official Facebook page of All India Trinamool Congress.
The incident regarding Indira Gandhi not being allowed into the temple in 1984, because she was married to a Parsi, has been mentioned by many agencies. They can be seen here, here, and here.
To sum it up, there are no such reports about Mamata Banerjee’s visit to the Puri Jagannath Temple yesterday. Also, she has previously visited the temple.