Loka Dal protest over defamation of Lord Jagannath

Bhubaneswar: (visakeo)-Strongly protesting the use of Hindu deity's image allegedly by an American website to market its products and the rath yatra being conducted by the ISKCON devotees in New Delhi, the Orissa Loka Dal on Sunday announced to hold a demonstration here on January 1, 2008 in protest against the two issues. The party sought the immidate intervention of the Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Party's State president Dipti Ranjan Mohanty said that the Chief Minister Patnaik should directly talk to Delhi Chief Minister Shila Dixit over the ISKCON rath yatra and to Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil and External Affairs Minister Pranaba Mukharjee over the US website, which has defamed the great Jagannath culture. "We strongly opposed this and also ask the Centre to initiate appropriate action in this matter," Mohanty said. Mohanty alleged that the e-shopping website has hurt religious sentiments by using Lord Jagannath's image in the advertisement of undergarments. The mischief played by the website had severely hurt the sentiments of Hindus. The State would like to ensure that strong actions were taken against those indulging in practices that amount to incitement of religious tension, he said. The website has a range of apparel products using different images of Hindu gods like Jagannath, Balabhadra, Subhadra, Laxmi, Hanuman [Images]. However, Mohanty backed the agitation being carried by the Temple sevayats against the ISKCON rath yatra. The sevayats of Puri Jagannath temple had taken to the streets demanding a ban on rathyatras being held at all times of the year across the country and elsewhere in the world by Iskcon devotees and the party has welcomed it, Mohanty added