Can ‘slip of tongue’ hurt Patra’s poll prospects? Puri voters stand divided

FOR PURI resident Gauranga Suara, 58, the recent “slip of tongue” by BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra on Lord Jagannath can never be an election issue even though he is upset over Patra’s remark.

“It’s good that he (Patra) realised his mistake and apologised, which he should have done immediately. But it’s not that I will not vote for Patra because of his remark. My vote for BJP is because of Narendra Modi, whom I want to be the Prime Minister of India for a third time,” said Suara.

But not everyone is convinced with Patra’s apology and his decision to fast for three days “as an act of penance” for his “mistake”. Umakant Behera, a native of Srimukundapur village under Satyabadi Assembly segment that falls under the Puri Lok Sabha seat, said “politicians should be careful while making public statements”.

“I don’t know if it was a slip of tongue or a deliberate comment. But such statements definitely hurt us. It’s an insult to our Lord. How can someone call Mahaprabhu a devotee of a human being, whoever he/she may be,” said Behera.

On May 20, Patra, who joined Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a roadshow on Badadanda (Grand Road) in Puri, told a local television channel “Lord Jagannath is (PM) Modi’s bhakt”, leading to nationwide outrage. Realising the sensitivity of the issue, he later apologised for the “slip of tongue”.

Lord Jagannath is revered across Odisha, which has a nearly 90% Hindu population, and Puri is where the famous Shri Jagannath Temple is located.

Patra, the television face of the BJP in New Delhi, had tried his luck from Puri in 2019 Lok Sabha polls too, but lost to BJD’s Pinaki Misra by a thin margin of 11,714 votes. This time, he is contesting against BJD nominee and former Mumbai police