'Ratna Bhandar's keys have been missing for the last 6 years': PM Modi targets BJD in Odisha

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday attacked the ruling BJD government over the missing keys of the Ratna Bhandar (treasure trove) in Odisha.  Adding up to his offensive against Naveen Patnaik's party, PM Modi said the 12th century temple was not safe under the BJD rule.

"Jagannath temple in Puri is not safe under BJD rule. 'Ratna Bhandar' keys have been missing for the last 6 years," PM Modi said during a rally in Angul.

PM Modi offered prayers at the famous Jagannath temple in Puri. 

Puri will go to the polls alongside the state capital, Bhubaneswar, on May 25.

Lord Jagannath is the most revered deity in Odisha, and the Ratna Bhandar of the Jagannath temple has deep resonance there. 

The Ratna Bhandar stores the precious ornaments of the deities - Lord Jagannath, Lord Balabhadra, and Goddess Subhadra - donated by devotees and erstwhile kings over centuries. It was last opened on July 14, 1985.

The Orissa High Court had directed the government to open the chamber for physical inspection in 2018. However, the keys to the chamber could not be found which led to a state-wide outrage.

"Prayed to Mahaprabhu Jagannath in Puri. May His blessings always remain upon us and guide us to new heights of progress," PM Modi tweeted.

The PM then held a huge two-kilometre-long roadshow from Marchikote Chowk to the Medical Square in Puri. He was accompanied by BJP's Puri Lok Sabha candidate Sambit Patra and state president Manmohan Samal.

This marked PM Modi's second visit to Odisha in the last 10 days, and came as the BJP and the BJD gear up for one of the fiercest battles in recent times. The contest between the parties sharpened after the BJP and the BJD failed to secure a pre-poll alliance in Odisha.