'I have never eaten beef': YouTuber Kamiya Jani clears air amid Jagannath temple visit row

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ALSO READ: How much do famous YouTubers in India earn, and how? “In the wake of the recent controversy, it is important that I put out real facts and the truth," she said. “My motive behind going to Jagannath was to seek the blessings of Lord Jagannath and present information about the temple's infrastructure. I am a practising Hindu.

I have never eaten beef, and don't promote it ever." A post shared by Kamiya Jani (@kamiya_jani) The following controversy began after Jani with the bureaucrat-turned-BJD leader on Jagannath temple premises went viral on social media. The state's BJP unit shared an earlier screenshot of the YouTuber purportedly consuming beef and juxtaposing it with an image of her eating the 'Mahaprasadam'. “The sacred sanctity of Puri Srimandir, rich with historical and spiritual heritage, has been shamefully disregarded by VK Pandian, the chairman of 5T, who callously allowed a beef promoter into the revered premises of Jagannath Mandir," the state BJP shared on X (formerly Twitter).

Soon after this, Union ministers Giriraj Singh, Dharmendra Pradhan, and even the opposition Congress in the state joined the bandwagon to criticize the social media host. "By facilitating the entry of a beef promoter into the revered shrine, VK Pandian has shown utmost disregard to religion, history, and spirituality," Giriraj Singh wrote on X. On the contrary, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Sarat Pattnayak and party’s campaign committee chairperson Bijay Patnaik sought to know who asked Pandian to take Jani inside the shrine.