Gandhinagar, June 25 Blaming the state's BJP government and the Ahmedabad Jagannath temple trustees' "lackadaisical approach" in their case in the Gujarat High Court over the Rath Yatra, Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) President, Praveen Togadia on Wednesday said that Lord Jagannath should be taken around Ahmedabad on the next Ekadashi (July 1) to continue the over century-old tradition.
"The 143 year-old Ahmedabad Rath Yatra tradition has not been broken once, even while during the British Raj. And it should have continued this year also... for this humiliation, the BJP and the state government is entirely to blame. I also blame the Jagannath temple trustees for a lackadaisical approach to this issue. Crores of Hindus have been insulted through this act," Togadia told media persons here.
"The state government and the temple trustees did not act promptly. The state government, at the very last moment, put up their proposal to the Gujarat High Court, which was extremely late and there wasn't enough time to approach the apex court. They could have moved the Gujarat HC three days earlier," he added.
Togadia said that this tradition should continue and for this, his AHP has proposed to the Ahmedabad Jagannath temple trustees to take the deity around the city on the next Ekadashi.
"By carrying the lord on the temple Mahant's shoulder or head and without taking out any kind of procession, the lord can be taken around the city, in a vehicle moving at 25 to 30 km speed.... There can be no restrictions on the lord's movement. The lord's blessings will be all over the city," he said.
"For this, some of my associates are right there at the Ahmedabad Jagannath temple. We have also conveyed this to the state government. If the temple trustees cannot accept our proposals, then they should resign," he demanded.
Ahmedabad Jagannath temple Mahant Dilipdasji had also expressed displeasure over the break in the tradition, saying that they were fooled in trusting those who weren't trustworthy.
( With inputs from IANS )