Bhubaneswar, June 17: The state government finds itself on a sticky wicket regarding the issue of allowing devotees to climb the chariots during rath yatra, scheduled to begin on June 29.

“Had the temple administration intervened earlier and settled the issue, it would not have cropped up at this point when the rath yatra is only 12 days from now,” said senior servitor Jagannath Swain Das Mohapatra.

Describing the issue as sensitive, leader of the Opposition Narasingha Mishra today demanded that an all-party meeting should be convened to resolve the crisis.

“This is sensitive issue. The Speaker should convene an all-party meeting on this issue,” he told newspersons.

Raising the issue in the Assembly, Congress MLA Taraprasad Bahinipati sought the intervention of the Speaker and demanded that daitapatis and the servitors should be invited for a meeting to resolve the crisis.

BJP leader K.V. Singh Deo said: “Without dilly-dallying on the issue, the government should accept Gobardhan Peeth Shankaracharya Nischalananda Saraswati’s opinion on the matter as final.”

The Gobardhan Peeth, the seat of Jagadguru Shankaracharya, Swami Nischalananda Saraswati, is of the view that devotes should be barred from climbing the chariots and touching the holy trinities.

Coming out in support of Shankaracharya, the Mukti Mandap Pandit Sabha, the highest body of Hindu scholars in Puri, has also said that the seer’s opinion on the issue should be treated as final, as it was in consonance with the Record of Rights of the temple. Touching the deities on the chariots during rath yatra was against the spirit of scriptures, the mandap said.

The Nilacharka, an association working for protection of Odia culture, too, demanded that recommendation of the Shanckaryachrya should be adhered to.

Reacting to this development, senior Daitapati Ramkrsuhna Dasmohapatra said: “The attempt to put a bar on devotees’ meeting Lord Jagananth will not be tolerated.”

Dasmohapatra has written a letter to the chief minister citing the reason why the devotees be allowed to climb to chariots. “The stand government took on June 11 on the issue should be adhered to,” he said. According to the decision taken at June 11 meeting presided by the law minister Arun Sahu, devotees would be barred from climbing the chariots during the daytime on the occasions of rath yatra and bahuda yatra.

On suna vesha (the golden attire) day, the devotees can climb the chariots only after the attire is removed. On other days, the devotees can climb onto the chariots during daytime. Former Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik said the issue should not be politicised and government should take appropriate action on this issue.