The Centre’s attempts to bring about changes in important laws without due consultation and without taking into account the ground realities has resulted in embarrassment for the NDA government time and again.

The latest example is the way the Union ministry of culture was forced to withdraw the draft heritage bylaws of the National Monuments Authority (NMA) for the Jagannath temple in Puri following protests by sevayats (servitors) and the temple administration.

However, the culture ministry seems not to have learnt any lessons from the Puri fiasco and is now facing fresh protests over its draft notification to bring about amendments in the heritage by laws governing the 11th century Lingaraj temple and other important shrines in Bhubaneswar.

On Saturday, BJD MPs met Union parliamentary affairs minister Pralhad Joshi in New Delhi and demanded that the proposed bylaws relating to the Lingaraj temple and some other important shrines be withdrawn.

On Friday evening, chief minister Naveen Patnaik tweeted: “Central Govt should immediately withdraw the National Monuments Authority Draft Bylaws on Ananta Basudev & Brahmeswar Temple of #EkamraKshetra. It would have been appropriate for the Central agencies to take the State into confidence on sensitive religious issues.”

On Tuesday, the Odisha government wrote to the Centre for the withdrawal of the notification about changes in the bylaws for the Lingaraj temple and other shrines of the state.

The main objection is that if the bylaws are implemented there would be no construction in the first 100-metre radius of these structures which will be declared as a prohibited area.

Similarly, the next 200 metres will also be a no-construction zone as it would be declared as a regulated zone. For any construction work in the regulated zone, permission of the authorities would be needed.

The issue has triggered resentment among various sections of people in the state.

“Babus are drafting laws without doing any homework. They are drafting them sitting in AC rooms. As they remain ignorant about the sentiments of the people, there are protests over several laws passed by the NDA government recently,” said lawyer Bana Bihari Mohanty.

Social activist Sudharsan Das said: “In a democratic country, Parliament formulates laws. But stakeholders must be consulted. The emphasis on dialogue is missing now. In the case of the controversial farm laws, adequate consultation was not done with the farmers.

“Similarly, in case of the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple there had been no consultation with the temple servitors, the main stakeholders. Now we want to know whether the stakeholders have been consulted while formulating the bylaws for the Lingaraj temple.”

Intellectuals, too, have expressed displeasure at the present trend of laws being framed without due consultation.

“These days bureaucrats are taking advantage of the ignorance of ministers which creates problems,” said Amareshawar Mishra, professor of political science, Utkal University.

The situation arising out of the dispute has left the state BJP leaders embarrassed.

Bhubaneswar MP Aparajita Sarangi’s silence on the issue of bylaws for the Lingraj temple in the Ekamra Kshetra, as the old town area is known, has raised eyebrows. Even posters questioning her silence on the issue have appeared in Bhubaneswar.

Ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) leader and minister Ashok Panda, who hails from the area, said: “The silence of Bhubaneswar MP on the issue raises many questions. She should raise the issue in Parliament.”

Aparajita told The Telegraph: “I am in Delhi because Parliament is in session. I will be back in Bhubaneswar on February 15. I will look into the matter of the NMA and take appropriate steps after talking to all and visiting the area.”

Union minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who had earlier protested on the heritage bylaws for the Puri Shree Jagannath Temple, tweeted: “The chief minister has not been properly briefed on the applicability of the bylaws framed by the NMA.”

The minister assured that the Centre is committed to address all the objections of Odisha government through dialogue.