Party seniors, all ministers and MLAs gave consent for Char Dham board, says ex-CM

Dehradun: Former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat, who has been targeted by priests as the "principal architect" of the Devasthanam Board, stuck to his guns, claiming that the decision to form a board to oversee the Char Dham shrines and other temples was "unanimous and a correct one". Speaking to TOI, Rawat said that it was not an overnight decision. “The party seniors, all ministers, MLAs had been consulted and they had agreed to the Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Act. If the decision is a correct one and aimed at welfare of people and development, then why are there any talks of withdrawing it. The government should not bow to pressure,” Rawat added.He also said the long-term impact of the move will benefit all stakeholders, including priests. “Proper procedure was followed and when people did not have a problem with the Board in 2019, then why are these issues cropping up in 2021,” he added.Calling the management board as the most reformative step taken in Uttarakhand in 21 years, Rawat said, “The rights of priests have not been infringed upon. The aim of the government was not to take over all the activities, but to improve the system and facilities. Even ex-CM ND Tiwari mooted the concept.”“The number of devotees has shot up to 36 lakhs in the last few years. So, the government had decided to come up with this Act for proper management,” said the former CM. During his recent visit to Kedarnath, Rawat was denied visit to the temple as some priests showed him black flags and raised slogans. “Giving the issue a casteist line is not right. It was surprising that while priests at Kedarnath raised slogans, the priests at Triyuginarayan welcomed the move. If someone has an issue, he should approach the government,” he added.