Dikhyaa Mohanty 
A political uproar broke out on Thursday as a result of social media posts showing Habishyalis in Puri performing bhajans in praise of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
According to reports, the Habishyalis are now in Puri as part of a state government-sponsored initiative to carry out the yearly Habisha ceremonies. But after widows were spotted praising CM Naveen through bhajans in front of district government representatives, the scandal was exacerbated.
The bhajan featured praise for a variety of people and causes, including the saviour of the elderly, “Karunasagar,” and Lord Jagannath’s “Chalanti Pratima,” leading the opposition to claim that the government had the bhajan written and forced the singers to perform it in order to boost support for the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) ahead of the 2024 elections.
CM Naveen is compared with Lord Brahma, Vishnu, and Maheswar in the bhajan, and the administration has written it, said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Pravati Parida. The bhajan further states that CM Naveen is generous enough to send trucks to transport these widows to Puri, where they would be given food and lodging for Habisha.
“I believe that the state government is drowning in ego. They are making comparisons to Lord Jagannath, which directly offends the religious beliefs of the many millions of Jagannath worshippers worldwide, she claimed.
The Congress party found the bhajan offensive as well. The State government has organized people and written songs glorifying Naveen Patnaik, so that the elderly may be persuaded to vote for the BJD in the polls, according to Congress politician and former OPCC Chief Jayadev Jena.
The BJD, however, denied all of the accusations. BJD MLA Prashant Muduli responded to the media by saying, “Habishyalis go Puri to surrender before Lord Jagannath. They get totally immersed in the worship of the Lord during their stay. Therefore, there should not be any difficulty if they give CM Naveen a little appreciation.
