As Prime Minister Narendra Modi was coming down heavily on the Naveen Patnaik-led Odisha government in Puri, the BJP candidate from the constituency, Sambit Patra’s remark on the town deity brought a wave of backlash to the ruling party.

“Jagannath is Modi’s bhakt,” Patra had remarked, landing himself into a controversy.

Later in the day, the BJP candidate from Puri apologised for his mistake, and vowed to observe a three-day fast for his ‘mistake’.

“Today, I am deeply troubled by the mistake I have made regarding Mahaprabhu Shri Jagannath Ji. I bow down at the feet of Mahaprabhu Sri Jagannath Ji and beg for forgiveness. I will be fasting for the next 3 days to correct my mistake and repent.” he said in a post on X.

Patra said that his remark was not intentional and was a slip of the tongue.

“In this sea of ​​people, while chatting with a media friend, instead of saying ‘Maha Prabhu Sri Jagannath’s Bhakti Modi’, he mistakenly pronounced ‘Modi's Bhakti Jagannath’,” he clarified.

Patra ended his post on X with a ‘Jai Jagannath’, accompanied by a folded hands emoji.