A photo of a newspaper article titled – ‘35K acres Jagannath land to be sold out’ is being shared on social media with a claim that Modi’s BJP government is also selling the assets of the Puri Jagannath temple. Let’s fact-check the claim made in the post.
Claim: BJP government is selling 35k acres of Puri Jagannath temple land in Odisha. The photo shows a newspaper article related to it.
Fact: In the article given in the post, it can be read that while answering a question asked by a BJP MLA on Puri Jagannath Temple in the Assembly, Odisha’s Law Minister Pratap Jena said that the government is taking necessary steps to sell around 35k (35,000) acres of temple land properties. But ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ has clarified that the news is not true and the decisions regarding the allotment of land for such public benefit infrastructure projects are taken by the Jagannath Temple Committee. Also, the BJD is in power in Odisha and the BJP is the opposition party in the State. Hence the claim made in the post is MISLEADING.
When we searched for the news article mentioned in the post, it was found that the article was published by ‘Orissa Post’ on 17 March 2021. The e-paper version of the article can be read here (archived).
The news article does not mention anywhere that the BJP is selling the lands of the temple. In a written reply to a question asked in Assembly by BJP MLA Mohan Charan Majhi on Puri Jagannath Temple, Odisha’s Law Minister Pratap Jena said that the government is taking necessary steps to sell around 35k (35,000) acres of temple land properties under the recommendations of BD Sharma committee and as per State government’s approved ‘Uniform Policy’.
But, as this news went viral, ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ has clarified that – ‘it has been falsely reported that 35,000 acres of land of Lord Jagannatha is being sold. This is a complete distortion of facts and is blatantly false and motivated.’ They have also said that – ‘the lands, which are occupied or are under the possession of various persons since long but belongs to Shree Jagannatha Mahaprabhu; are being settled by Temple Committee as per the “Unified Policy”, framed for the purpose in the year 2003…Decisions regarding the allotment of land for such public benefit infrastructure projects to the Government and others is taken by the Jagannath Temple Committee.’ The tweets made by ‘Shree Jagannatha Temple Office, Puri’ on the issue can be seen here.
When the ‘Uniform Policy’ was made in 2003, the BJD-BJP coalition government was in power in Odisha. But there is no such coalition now in the State. Even if the Odisha government has decided to sell the lands of the temple, BJD is the party that is in power in Odisha and the BJP is the opposition party in the State. Also, Pradipta Kumar Naik, the opposition leader, and BJP MLA in Odisha, has opposed the sale of Puri Jagannath temple lands.
To sum it up, BJP has no connection with the sale of 35k acres of Puri temple lands mentioned in the posted article.
