If so, then where is the original key? And why was a duplicate key kept in the record room?" he asked.According to the Odisha government, the bhandar has more than 12,000 tolas (each tola is approximately 10 grams) of gold jewellery and precious gemstones, including diamonds, worth over several thousands of crores of rupees.“The administration says it has found the duplicate key.A 16-member team, led by Pradeep Jena, then chief administrator of Sri Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA), had to suspend the process midway due to the missing key, a matter which came in public domain earlier this month.Ratna Bhandar is the treasury of the 12th century Sri Mandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath.The BJP and the Congress, desperate to form government in Odisha in 2019 Assembly polls, launched protests across the state to fan people’s sentiments against the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD).Making the situation worse for the state government, senior BJP leader Bijoy Mohapatra sought the removal of Puri district collector Arvind Agrawal in whose record room the duplicate key surfaced. Otherwise,  people will be sure that there has been foul play,” he added.Odisha Congress president N***jan Patnaik said the people have started doubting if the gold jewellery and gemstones are safe in the Ratna Bhandar.Bhubaneswar: The “missing” key of Lord Jagnnat’s Ratna Bhandar from the treasury of Puri district collector and the appearance of a duplicate key have led political parties to lock horns over the issue in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections.The mysterious disappearance of the key to Lord Jagannath’s Ratna Bhandar and the sudden emergence of a duplicate key have added spice to politics in the poll-bound state. The Opposition parties have demanded the resignation of chief minister Naveen Patnaik and a CBI probe in place of the judicial inquiry ordered by the BJD government.With 2019 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections fast approaching, the BJD government, which had earlier wriggled its way out of controversies such as mining scam and chit fund scam, now finds the missing key incident snowballing into a major controversy, threatening to erode its popularity. “The government must clarify on this issue.Ratna Bhandar is the treasury of the 12th century Sri Mandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath.Missing key of temple’s treasure haunts Naveen Patnaik paper cutter factory THE ASIAN AGE.The incident (missing key) came to light when the government, following an Odisha high court order on April 4, opened the inner chamber of bhandar for evaluation of jewellery and gemstones.Priests of the 12th century Sri Mandir, the abode of Lord Jagannath, perform a ritual during the annual rath yatra in Puri.Odisha law minister Pاين نام مجاز نمي باشدp Jena, in an apparent bid to keep the ruling government away from controversy, said the truth will come out after the judicial probe.Reacting to the government statement on June 13 that it has found a duplicate key from the Puri district collector’s record room, BJP spokesperson Pitambar Acharya said that the entire episode smacks of a conspiracy.  “The government must explain during whose period the duplicate key was kept in the collector's record room, “he said.The Congress, Mr Patnaik said, would take to streets seeking an impartial probe into the missing key case. It may be noted that the treasury was last opened in 1985.