Sri Mandir servitors’ boycott poster: Ratha Jatra meeting deferred in Odisha

Puri: A day after Sri Mandir servitors’ body asked to boycott the Ratha Jatra Coordination Committee meeting, the government deferred the meeting till July 6.

The meeting was scheduled to be held on July 3 under chairmanship of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Sources said that the meeting was deferred due to the poster by Shree Jagannath Sevayat Sammilani asking the servitors not to attend the meeting to protest a series of false allegations leveled against them.

The servitors’ body announced to boycott the meeting this year for the district collector’s anti-servitor tendency to defame the servitors on several issues including Niladri Bije and disrespect to first lady at Lord Jagannath temple in Puri.

Notably, the preparations are in full swing for smooth conduct of the annual Ratha Jatra of Lord Jagannath in Puri.

Following the poster by Shree Jagannath Sevayat Sammilani, the district administration is likely to convince the servitors to join the meeting to be chaired by the CM to cooperate the government for smooth functioning of all the programmes during Ratha Jatra.