CM Dhami pays obeisance at Kedarnath as PCC president Mahara starts Yatra to Kedarnath from Haridwar
Thursday, 25 July 2024 | Gajendra Singh Negi | DEHRADUN
Though the election commission of India (ECI) is yet to announce the dates of the Kedarnath Assembly by-election, the major political parties of Uttarakhand, the BJP and Congress came into election mode for the prestigious seat on Wednesday. On one hand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami made an unscheduled visit to Kedarnath Dham on Wednesday morning where he offered prayers to Lord Shiva and met the Teerth Purohits, the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Karan Mahara on the other hand started his Kedarnath Pratishta Bachao Yatra from Har Ki Paidi in Haridwar. Mahara along with other Congress leaders will cover the distance between Haridwar to Kedarnath on foot.
CM Dhami’s Kedarnath visit and a warm reception accorded to him by the Teerth Purohits and stakeholders there assumes significance since the Purohits had expressed their opposition on the use of the name of Kedarnath Dham in Buradi in New Delhi. CM Dhami was in the centre of a storm after he participated in the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kedarnath Dham in Buradi. However the Teerth Purohits suspended their agitation after the Trust constructing the temple in Buradi clarified that it will not use the word Dham and the State cabinet passed a proposal banning the use of the names of Char Dhams in temples in other parts of the country.
Aware of the sensitivity of Buradi temple controversy, the Congress leadership wants to keep the subject alive till the by- elections. The PCC president Karan Mahara has termed the assurance given by the trust constructing the temple in Buradi regarding use of the name as farce and has claimed that the trust is continuing to seek donation in the name of Kedarnath Dham Buradi. Mahara is also demanding that the CM should ask the trust in Buradi to return the sacred Shila ( Stone ) to Kedarnath. During the 14 day long Yatra, Mahara and other Congress leaders will also raise the issue of missing gold from Kedarnath. Mahara said that the Prime Minister Narendra Modi has violated the sacred tradition of Kedarnath Dham by taking cameramen inside the Garbh Grah of the temple during his visit.
As the Yatra will move uphills from Haridwar it will heat up the political environment in the State and charge up both Congress and BJP for the political battle of Kedarnath Assembly by- elections.
After losing the Badrinath and Manglaur bypolls to the Congress party, the ruling BJP is desperate to retain its hold in Kedarnath assembly. In the wake of the victory registered by opposition INDI alliance in Faizabad (Ayodhya) parliamentary constituency and in Badrinath by- election the central leadership of the BJP will also be keenly watching the outcome of the Kedarnath bypoll. The by- election in Kedarnath assembly is necessitated by the death of BJP MLA Shaila Rani Rawat.
