The Opposition Biju Janata Dal (BJD) raised concerns over the safety of jewellery and valuables stored in Lord Jagannath's Ratna Bhandar at Puri, accusing the Odisha government of misleading the public in the name of religion.

The regional outfit also expressed concern over the delay in conducting an inventory of the valuables, even after they were shifted back to the Ratna Bhandar following its repair on September 23.

The items from both the inner and outer chambers of the treasury had earlier been moved to temporary strong rooms when the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) opened the inner chamber for repairs in July 2024 for the first time in 46 years.

At a press conference on Monday, BJD MP Subhashish Khuntia, who hails from Puri town, alleged that the BJP government's intention was "doubtful" as it continued to delay the inventory of the Ratna Bhandar.

Khuntia recalled that the BJP's 2024 manifesto promised a comprehensive inventory of the treasury's valuables, and alleged that the state administration was intentionally stalling the process.

"The administration delayed the conduct of the inventory with evil intentions," he alleged, demanding that the government publicly disclose all details of the treasury's contents at the earliest.

He warned that "any further delay in the inventory of Ratna Bhandar will indicate that valuables have been looted from the temple treasury and the BJP government will be answerable to the people".

The BJD MP alleged that the central government delayed granting ASI permission for repairs under the former BJD regime, which had established a committee headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Arijit Pasayat to oversee the process.

"But after the BJP came to power, a new committee was set up under a retired High Court judge, replacing Justice Pasayat," he alleged.

Immediately after shifting jewellery and valuables to Ratna Bhandar after its repair, Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan had stated that the inventory of valuables would be done in the presence of experts from the Reserve Bank of India.

The RBI has also given names of its experts and inventory would be done as per the state government’s guidelines, he said.

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