Jagdish Tytler at the Jagannath temple during his recent visit to Puri. Picture by Sarat Patra

Bhubaneswar, March 28: Senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler finds himself embroiled in a row for entering the Jagannath temple in Puri on March 15. Ironically for a man once accused of instigating the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, state Congress leaders claimed the Delhi strongman was a Sikh and was entitled to enter the sacred premises.

While on the earlier occasion, the CBI gave a clean chit to Tytler, it appears that this row will take some time to die down. Ruling BJD MLAs claimed that Tytler was a “non-Hindu” and should not have been allowed inside. Congress members said he was a Sikh and, so, there was no restriction on his entry.

Only people born as Hindus are allowed inside the shrine.Speaker Pradip Amat directed law minister Bikram Keshari Arukh, who is in charge of the affairs of the Jagananth temple, to inquire into the matter.

Maheswar Mohanty, BJD legislator from Puri, raised the issue during Zero Hour. He said: “Tytler had recently visited the temple despite restrictions on the entry of non-Hindus. This had caused resentment among the temple priests and local residents.”

Mohanty, a former speaker of the Orissa Assembly, sought a direction from the chair to the minister concerned to make a statement on the issue.

“This is a very sensitive and important issue,” said BJD MLA Pradeep Maharathy. Two other ruling party legislators from Puri district also shared similar views.

Countering their contention, leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh wanted to know the source from which Mohanty and his party colleagues got to know that Tytler was a non-Hindu.

“The state government was aware of his programme, including his visit to the Jagannath temple,” said Singh.

Later, Congress chief whip Prasad Harichandan clarified that Tytler was a Sikh who had changed his surname in his childhood after being inspired by his mentor J.D. Tytler.

“There is no restriction on Sikhs for entry into the Jagannath temple. Tytler had visited the temple several times in the past,” said Harichandan, adding that BJD legislators should do their homework before raising any issue on the floor of the House.

“While BJD claims to be a secular party, the issue raised by its legislators bespeaks their religious narrowness,” said Harichandan.

Despite repeated attempts, Tytler could not be reached for comment. The debate over denial of entry into Hindu temples is not new. Former prime minister Indira Gandhi, a Kashmiri Pandit by birth, was turned away from the Jagannath temple while she was in power because she had married a Parsi.

Even PM Rajiv Gandhi and his wife Sonia were not allowed inside the Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu. Birendra, the then king of Nepal, had shot down Rajiv’s wish to visit the shrine on the ground that he was a Parsi and his wife a Christian.