Saturday, 10 April 2021 | PNS | Haridwar/Dehradun
VHP calls for declaring Ram Setu a national heritage
Overturning yet another decision of his predecessor, chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced that the management of 51 temples in Uttarakhand will not be under government control and that the existence of the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board will be reconsidered. The CM said this on the sidelines of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Kendraiya Margdarshak Mandal meeting in Haridwar on Friday.
At least 51 temples including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri among others were brought under the director control of the state government after the governor approved the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board bill passed in the Vidhan Sabha. This decision had elicited strong opposition from members of the religious fraternity, who questioned the basis for government control over Hindu shrines.
The issue of government control on shrines and the demand for declaring Ram Setu as a national heritage were among the prominent issues raised in the VHP meeting. The CM said that the government will end government control over the 51 temples, while adding that the state government is reconsidering the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board. A meeting of Teerth Purohits will be called soon on this issue. Further, he said that the system made by Shankaracharya in the ancient times regarding the Char Dham will be maintained without any tampering.
The CM further said that liquor shops will remain fully closed in the Kumbh Mela area.Responding to the demand of the religious fraternity, Rawat said that liquor shops in Muni Ki Reti and Dhalwala will also remain closed.It is pertinent to mention here that the creation of Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board had elicited considerable opposition from the religious fraternity, the Congress and even some members of the Bharatiya Janata Party. BJP MP Subramanian Swamy had first approached the Uttarakhand High Court and then the Supreme Court against the Act facilitating government control on Hindu shrines in Uttarakhand. However, Rawat’s announcement came before Swamy could argue the special leave petition he had filed. Swamy has appreciated the announcement stating “this is called a responsive government in a democracy”.
