Bhubaneswar: Odisha BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra on Tuesday fired yet another salvo at the state BJP leadership and asked what did the party, which shared power in the state with the BJD for nine years, do about the missing key of the ratna bhandar or Puri Jagannath temple treasury and to undertake reforms in the temple.

"The BJP was a part of the coalition government from 2000 to 2009. Let the party leaders say whether the keys of the ratna bhandar (treasury) of the temple was available or not at that time. The party should also make clear what reform measures were undertaken for the temple during that period," Mohapatra told newspersons on Tuesday.

Biswa Bhusan Harichandan of the BJP was the law minister in the Naveen Patnaik government during the coalition period. The temple management comes under the law department, Mohapatra pointed out.

Mentioning rules, he said that the ratna bhandar is supposed to be inspected once in every six months. "So, it should have been checked 18 times during the nine-year coalition period. Harichandan owes an answer and should not escape from responsibility," he said.

Mohapatra supported the Puri Shankaracharya Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, who had raised these questions on Monday. "Whatever the Puri seer has said is correct. The BJP owes an answer to the people as it was part of the coalition government.

The BJP has launched a state-wide agitation on the issue of missing key of the ratna bhandar in an attempt to embarrass the Naveen Patnaik government and generate popular opinion in its favour ahead of the 2019 general elections.

Former law minister Harichandan retorted saying that Mohapatra should not make irresponsible remarks without knowing anything. He claimed that during his tenure, several reform measures had been taken for the management of the temple and the welfare of the sevayats. "No major lapse had taken place during my period," he claimed.

BJP spokesperson Pitambar Acharya, on the other hand, pointed out that Mohapatra was an influential minister in the Biju Patnaik ministry from 1990 to 1995. "He should tell us how many times the ratna bhandar was opened during that period," said Acharya.

Mohapatra does not enjoy good equations with the party leadership due to his remarks on various issues pertaining to Odisha.