BJP leader Amit Malviya on Thursday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of hurting Hindu sentiments by allowing non-Hindus to prepare and distribute prasad at the newly constructed Jagannath temple in Digha, East Midnapore.

The temple, modeled on the famous Jagannath Temple in Puri, has reportedly outsourced the preparation and distribution of sacred sweets like Gaja and Pera to local shops and ration dealers—some of whom are non-Hindus, particularly Muslims.

Malviya, the BJP’s IT cell chief and central observer for Bengal, posted a list of individuals involved in the distribution, alleging it included non-Hindu names. “This is not just administrative negligence. This is a deliberate provocation. How can the government so casually trample upon deeply held religious beliefs?” Malviya said in a statement on X.

He argued that the Jagannath Temple in Puri traditionally restricts non-Hindus from entering its premises, and thus involving non-Hindus in the sacred ritual of preparing prasad undermines that sanctity.

“In Mamata Banerjee’s Bengal, prasad for Lord Jagannath is being sourced from those who don’t even follow the faith. This is not secularism—it is targeted sacrilege,” he added.

Malviya claimed that many Hindus and devotees of Lord Jagannath are deeply hurt by the administration’s actions, calling it a “blatant insult to religious sentiments” and an act of “calculated appeasement.”

The state government has not yet responded publicly to the allegations.