DEHRADUN: Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s scheduled visit on November 5 to Kedarnath, priests have warned that they will not allow “any VIP” unless the matter of Char Dham Devasthanam Board Act is resolved.
Brijesh Sati, spokesperson for the Char Dham Tirth Purohit Mahapanchayat, the apex body of the priests of Char Dham said, “We have decided to oppose the visit of VIPs until a solution is found.”
In December 2019, the state Assembly had passed a bill relating to the management of Char Dham. The priests had then opposed the law saying it would rob them of their ‘haq-hukuk’ (traditional rights).
The Kedarnath priests also protested during former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat’s visit on Monday.
He was supposed to take stock of the preparations ahead of the PM’s visit and was accompanied by state protocol minister Dhan Singh Rawat and state BJP chief Madan Kaushik.
However, the former CM had to leave hurriedly without ‘darshan’ following protests.
Santosh Trivedi, a priest who led the protests, said: “The government has cheated us. They had sought time until October 30. Agitations have started across all Char Dham shrines.”
The Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Act was cleared during Trivendra Singh Rawat’s tenure.
The priests showed black flags and shouted slogans against the former CM and others as soon as they landed. Markets at Yamunotri and Gangotri shrines remained closed in expression of solidarity with the agitating priests.
CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said the government has formed a committee to resolve the issue.
“Once the committee submits the final report, we will make a decision.”
Recently, Rajya Sabha MP Anil Baluni had met a delegation of priests and assured them of a solution.
The PM’s visit to Kedanath a day after Diwali will be his second trip to Uttarakhand this month. He will also inaugurate projects worth Rs 400 crore.
‘Will rob them of right’
The Devasthanam Board Act was cleared during Trivendra Singh Rawat’s tenure. The priests had then opposed the law saying it would rob them of their ‘haq-hukuk’ (traditional rights).