Priests to intensify protest against Char Dham Board
‘Won’t allow Modi to have darshan at shrine if demand for scrapping of Board is not accepted’
DEHRADUN: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kedarnath on November 5, priests have decided to intensify their agitation against the formation of Char Dham Devasthanam Board. They warned that they will not allow Modi to have darshan at Kedarnath shrine if their demand for scrapping of the Char Dham Board is not conceded by the state government.
KK Kotiyal, president of Char Dham Tirath Purohit Haq Haqooki Mahapanchayat, said the state government had promised them that the stalemate over the Char Dham Board will be resolved by October 30.
“But nothing has been done. All priests here are very angry. We didn’t allow former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat and BJP state president to have darshan at Kedarnath on Monday. We will not allow even PM Modi to have darshan on November 5. When the government goes ahead with its dictatorial attitude, why should we welcome them here?” Kotiyal asked.
Pandit Vinod Prasad Shukla, president of Teerath Purohit Samaj Shri Kedarnath, said the priests will hold protests on arrival of PM Modi in Kedarnath as the state government, despite its promise, has not yet decided on scrapping of the Char Dham Board.
“We will not allow PM to have darshan in Kedarnath. We want him to know what we have been going through for last over a year and how we have been agitating, without government taking any concrete action on our main demand,” Shukla said.
Santosh Trivedi, a member of
Teerath Purohit Samaj Shri Kedarnath and vice president of Akhil Bhratiya Teerath Purohit Yuva Mahasabha, said priests and temple committees of Char Dham will hold protests during the PM’s visit. “We will hold protests at the revered shrines of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. Some priests from Badrinath will arrive here (Kedarnath) on November 3 and join us in protests,” he said.
Trivedi had written a letter with his blood to the PM in August this year, demanding scrapping of the Char Dham Board and allowing priests to manage the shrines as they have been doing traditionally for centuries.
Trivedi said the government is playing with the rights of the priests. “We want intervention of the PM in ensuring that our rights are not infringed upon and that the Char Dham Devasthanam Board be scrapped immediately,” he said.
Deepak Semwal, secretary of Gangotri Dham Temple Committee, said the market at Gangotri
Dham remained shut on Monday and priests didn’t conduct rituals on Ganga ghats. “Priests also held protests here today. We will hold protests on arrival of PM in Kedarnath. We feel betrayed by the state government which had earlier told us that the Board will be scrapped,” he said.
When contacted, Ravinath Raman, chairman of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board, said the state government has already formed a committee which is seeking suggestions and objections from the temple bodies, priests and other stakeholders on the Board issue. “The committee is expected to give its report later this month as some stakeholders are yet to respond,” he said
In August this year, chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had said that the high-powered committee formed by the government on the Char Dham Board will talk with all stakeholders, following which a decision would be taken and till then the working of the Board will be stopped.
In April this year, the then chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat had announced that the state government will review the formation of the Char Dham Board. The announcement had come after akhadas, seers, priests of Char Dham and Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders had demanded dissolution of the board in the interest of local priests, who have been traditionally managing the shrines.
In December 2019, the state assembly had passed the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Bill. In January 200, after then governor Baby Rani Maurya gave her assent for the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act 2019, priests alleged that they were kept in the dark about the law. They alleged that the government took such a step to sideline them and ensure full government control of templerelated issues.
In July last year, the Uttarakhand high court dismissed the public interest litigation (PIL) filed by senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy against the government takeover of the Char Dhams and 47 other temples through the formation of the Board.
The HC ruled that the ownership of the temple properties would vest with Char Dham shrines and power of the Board would be confined only to the administration and management of the properties.
On November 5, PM Modi will unveil the statue of Adi Shankaracharya, dedicate reconstruction and development projects worth over ₹ 200 crore to the public and lay the foundation stone of reconstruction and development projects worth ₹150 crore at Kedarnath shrine. The unveiling of Adi Shankaracharya’s statue will be livestreamed at the rest of the 11 Jyotir Lingas and four maths (monastic institutions). This will be PM’s second visit to the state this year.
In August this year, Modi had come to Rishikesh where he ded
icated 35 pressure swing adsorption (PSA) oxygen plants to the nation at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Rishikesh.
Meanwhile, Char Dham pilgrimage has broken last year’s record, with 414,000 pilgrims visiting the four shrines since September 18. The pilgrim influx increased after the Uttarakhand high court on October 5 lifted the daily cap on the number of pilgrims who can undertake Char Dham yatra following the state government’s plea.