President Droupadi Murmu and Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav visited Jagannath Temple in Delhi a few days ago. Several questions were raised after their visit. One of them was associated with the issue of discrimination, alleging that she was not allowed inside the temple for being a tribal lady.
Pakistani User named Khalid Imran Khan tweeted a collage in which Railway Ashwini Vaishanv can be seen worshiping the idols during the visit, while in the second part, President Murmu can be seen praying before idols from the outer section of the temple. The user wrote:” Allowed – Ashwini Vaishnaw ( Railway Minister ) Not Allowed – Draupadi Murmu ( President Of India )”.
Retweeting this Tweet, Pakistani actress Sher Shinwari wrote: “ This is how Dalits are treated in India, Shame”.
Fact-Check
The Dfrac team examined the news associated with President Murmu’s Temple visit to evaluate these viral claims. Meanwhile, President Murumu’ Spokesperson Suraj Kumar Mahato told that Murumu’s discrimination allegations are not true. She always worships idols from a distance.
Ravindra Nath Pradhan, Secretary of Jagannath Temple told: “ People who visit this temple, have to worship lord Jagannath while standing behind the wooden plank. Only Pujaris are allowed near idols. President Murmu was quite aware of this rule. She worshiped idols stood behind barricades”. He added: “These barricades are removed on the occasion of Rath Yatra once a year. A chief guest is also invited on this occasion, who invokes Lord Jagannath while performing some rituals related to Rath yatra. This picture of Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav is also from the year 2021 when he visited the temple as the chief guest on the day of Rath Yatra. This is the reason why he worshiped the idols from the inner part of temple”.
Besides that, some pictures were posted from President Murmu’s official account along with the caption: “On the occasion of the commencement of the Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath, I extend my heartiest congratulations and best wishes to all the countrymen, especially the devotees of Lord Jagannath. I pray to Mahaprabhu Jagannath that this festival of devotion and dedication brings happiness, peace, and prosperity to everyone’s life. Jai Jagannath!”.
Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav also shared some pictures on Twitter and wrote: “Sought blessings of Chaturdhamurti at Lord Jagannath Temple, New Delhi on the auspicious occasion of #RathaYatra. I pray to the Lord for the wellbeing of all. Jai Jagannath”.
Conclusion
It is clear from Dfrac s Fact-Check that claims of discrimination against President Drouapadi Murmu during her temple visit are fake.
