Cong to undertake pardyatra on Jul 24 on this issue
PrashantNews
Facing flak from several quarters on the construction of Kedarnath replica in Delhi, the state cabinet in Uttarakhand on Thursday decided to make strong legal provisions to stop any misuse of the names of the Chardham shrines – Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri.
The move came in the wake of agitation by a section of people against the collection of funds in the name of construction of a Kedarnath replica in Delhi.
Meanwhile, state Congress President Karan Mahra said the party would undertake a padyatra from July 24 to protest against the construction of Kedarnath replica in Delhi. “We will undertake a padyatra on July 24 from Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar to Kedarnath. This will be a 16 day padyatra to protest against the construction of Kedarnath temple in Delhi,” Mahra said. Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat also said he would join the padyatra.
The ruling BJP has come under fire in Uttarakhand after Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami laid foundation stone of a temple in New Delhi which is a replica of Kedarnath shrine last week, a move that has triggered protests among a section of people in the hill state.
After the last week ceremony in Delhi, Priests along with local people in Kedarnath area in Rudraprayag district are up in arms about the government’s alleged support to the construction of the temple in Delhi fearing that a sizeable amount of money coming to the Kedarnath shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva would be diverted to Delhi. They alleged that the funds are being collected under the QR code similar to Kedarnath shrine.
In a blistering attack, Swami Avimukteshwranand, the Shankracharya of Jyotir Math, on Monday demanded inquiry into the alleged theft of 228 kg of gold from Kedarnath temple and made it clear that Kedarnath temple cannot be built in Delhi.
Joining the issue, state Congress attacked the government saying the funds are being collected for the Delhi temple in the name of Kedarnath shrine. The Congress claimed that the BJP has not learnt any lessons after its humiliating defeat in Ayodhya (Faizabad) parliamentary seat in Uttar Pradesh and Badrinath assembly constituency in Uttarakhand.
Significantly, the attack against the BJP government has come at a time when Kedarnath assembly seat has fallen vacant following the death of the sitting party MLA Shaila Rani Rawat recently. BJP fears that the growing agitation against the Delhi temple will go against the party’s interests in Kedarnath seat where the bypoll is expected within the next six months. BJP has lost Badrinath and Manglaur assembly seats in the recent byelection.
Coming under attack, Chief Minister Dhami has tried to defend his government many times saying no other place can acquire the status of Kedarnath dham. “There is only one place of Jyotirlinga (Kedarnath) which is in Uttarakhand and it cannot be anywhere else,” he said.