Bengal CM Suvendu says 'Dham' dropped from Digha Jagannath complex's name, calls it cultural centre

Kolkata, Jul 16 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday said the state government has decided to remove the word 'Dham' from the name of the Jagannath complex in Digha, citing respect for Puri's Jagannath Dham. Addressing a Rath Yatra programme at Tamluk in Purba Medinipur district, Adhikari said the facility at the seaside town would be referred to as the Digha Jagannath Cultural Centre. "Remembering and respecting Puri Jagannath Dham, we have removed the word 'Dham' from the state government's Digha Jagannath Cultural Centre," he said. The Digha Jagannath temple, built by the previous Trinamool Congress government, had sparked a political controversy over the use of the word "Dham", with the BJP alleging that the title should be reserved for the revered Jagannath temple at Puri in neighbouring Odisha. Adhikari had last month announced the government's decision to drop the word from the name of the complex. "We will remove the word 'Dham'. The cultural centre complex will remain, and worship will continue. The entire complex will function as a temple, but the word 'Dham' will be dropped. I, too, felt that the previous government had disregarded people's sentiments," he had said. PTI SCH MNB