Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami turns down his predecessor CM’s decision on Devasthanam Board to appease Teerth Purohits
The Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has finally turned down the decision of the former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat on Devasthanam Board appeasing the Teerth Purohits ( pilgrimage Priests) of four historic shrines Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri, Yamnotri and 56 other temples of the Himalayan state, who were badly angered over the decision of Trivendra Singh Rawat. While announcing this decision the chief minister tweeted : Keeping in view the interest of the the pilgrimage priests, temple trusts and the people connected with the four historic shrines the government of Uttarakhand has on the recommendations of the committee headed by former RS MP Manohar Kant Dhyani decided to abolish the Devasthanam Board tweeted chief minister Dhami.
Large number of Tirth Purohits were badly disenchanted and exasperated with the decision of former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat to constitute the Devasthanam Board who said that it is the revolutionary corrective measure taken by his government.
Under Devasthanam Board the entire control of the historic Char Dham and other temples earlier run by the Temple Trusts had come under the jurisdiction of the Government of Uttarakhand badly annoying the temple priests in large numbers who had opposed the former CM at Kedarnath with vociferous go back slogans not allowing him to enter Kedarnath Temple and offer prayers last month.
Even the chief minister of Uttarakhand Pushkar Singh Dhami has acknowledged the protests during his visit to Kedarnath this month. It is believed that the BJP high command has officially given the consent to change this decision to Pushkar Singh Dhami when he visited Delhi recently.
This decision to turn down his predecessor chief minister’s decision outrightly despite the former being adamant on this decision of his, has made one thing absolutely clear that the state BJP government is in a defensive mode and do not want to lose the state assembly elections at any cost, thus backtracking on its earlier decision and keeping the electorates in good humour.
At the centre also the prime minister has withdrawn the three farm laws after the hectic agitation of the farmers unions for the last one year.
This unambiguously indicate that in view of the assembly elections in five states of the country likely to take place in 2022 the BJP led NDA government and Uttarakhand BJP government is in no mood to annoy the electorates reversing its earlier decisions, forth with.
Meanwhile, the former chief minister and chairman of election campaign committee Harish Rawat has while reacting to this decision to revoke the Devasthanam board orders tweeted : This decision is the decision of the government afraid of losing the elections. The day Devasthanam Board was constituted the Congress in Assembly and it’s leaders outside had protested the decision saying that this is against out cultural ethos and traditions tweeted ANI quoting Harish Rawat.
