Kolkata, May 6 (UNI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that those who falsely accused her of orchestrating the theft of Neem wood from Puri’s Jagannath Dham for carving idols for the Jagannath temple in Digha should be held accountable and punished.



“They should hold their ears and apologise. They blamed me for stealing Neem wood from Jagannath temple in Puri. Why should I steal? Is there any shortage of Neem tree in West Bengal? There are four Neem trees in my home only,” the chief minister who is touring the troubled areas of Murshidabad told at a public function in Suti on Tuesday.



The chief minister also asked the authorities of Digha Jagannath temple to plant 100 Neem trees inside the temple premises.



“We have planted 500 trees and another 100 Neem trees will be planted. We don’t need any favours from anyone. Remember one thing – we are neither thieves nor a pickpocket. We don’t harm people. We try to help them,” the chief minister said.



The Chief Minister’s response came just a few hours after the Odisha government admitted that surplus wood from Puri’s Jagannath Temple was not used to craft the idols at the newly consecrated Jagannath shrine in Digha, West Bengal.



The controversy began when servitor Ramakrushna Dasmohapatra, who attended the inauguration of the Digha temple, claimed in a TV interview in Kolkata that he had used surplus wood from the 2015 Nabakalebara to craft the idols at the Digha shrine.



‘Nabakalebara’ is a ritual conducted every 12 or 19 years at the Puri temple, during which the wooden forms of the deities—Lord Balabhadra, Devi Subhadra, and Lord Jagannath—are replaced.



"We had the matter investigated by the Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), which found no truth in his claim. Dasmohapatra was summoned by the SJTA and admitted it was a slip of the tongue," said Odisha Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan, who had ordered the inquiry.



Dasmohapatra, who is also the secretary of the Daita Nijog, was questioned on Monday by SJTA Administrator Arvind Padhee regarding the alleged misuse of neem wood, during which he reportedly admitted his mistake.



Investigation also revealed that Dasmohapatra had enlisted a Bhubaneswar-based artisan to craft the idols for the Digha temple, and upon questioning, the SJTA confirmed that the artisan had obtained neem wood from a timber supplier for the project.



"Dasmohapatra's lies and wayward media statements hurt the sentiments of devotees. It is now officially clear that our temple's surplus wood was not taken outside for any other purpose. Dasmohapatra has been asked to submit a written explanation. He is likely to face action (possible suspension for some days) as per the temple act," a SJTA official had said on Monday.

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