Rahul Gandhi Accuses BJP of Insulting Odisha Over Lord Jagannath Remark

Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP of insulting Odisha by claiming Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi. Addressing an election rally, he vowed to protect India's Constitution and democracy. BJP candidate Sambit Patra apologized for the controversial remark and undertook penance by fasting.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Thursday accused the BJP of insulting the people of Odisha as one of its leaders recently claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Addressing an election rally in Simulia in the Bhadrak Lok Sabha seat, he also vowed to save the Constitution of India and democracy in the country. “The BJP has insulted every individual of Odisha as one of its leaders claimed that Lord Jagannath is a devotee of PM Modi,'' Gandhi said. BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra had recently made the remark.

Embroiled in a controversy over his ''slip of the tongue'' on Lord Jagannath, Patra apologised and announced that he would undertake a penance by observing fast for three days. The Congress leader alleged that the BJP and its allies are united to destroy democracy and the Constitution of the country. “No force on the earth can destroy our Constitution. You cannot even touch the Constitution by utilising all your forces,” Gandhi said in an apparent dig at the BJP.