Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 20 Jul: Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress President Ganesh Godiyal today levelled serious allegations against the state government and the Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) over the alleged theft of offerings and financial irregularities in Badrinath Dham. Addressing a press conference at the State party headquarters here today, Godiyal claimed that the revelations made by arrested accused Rajendra Chauhan have exposed the chain of corruption reaching directly to the BKTC chairman Hemant Dwivedi. He claimed that Chauhan admitted that he received instructions from Pramod Nautiyal, who in turn was directed by the chairman himself, proving that the theft was not an isolated act of a few employees but a well-organised crime orchestrated from the top.
Godiyal demanded that Hemant Dwivedi resign immediately on moral grounds, asserting that when the threads of this scam point directly towards the chairman, he has no right to continue in office even for a minute. He urged the Chief Minister to dismiss him forthwith to prevent tampering with evidence. He questioned the CM’s silence on the issue, asking why he has not spoken a word despite the fact that the sanctity of Badrinath Dham, revered by crores of devotees across the world, has been compromised. The PCC Chief further claimed that the offerings in the form of ration and money from the BKTC office in Rishikesh are being diverted to Yamkeshwar constituency for electoral gains, which he described as a grave misuse of faith and resources.
Reiterating his earlier charges, Godiyal said the government cannot suppress the matter by raking up nine-year-old allegations against him (against Godiyal). He pointed out that when he raised the issue of large-scale theft, the ruling party tried to distract attention by referring to his tenure which ended nearly a decade ago. The Congress leader also reminded that he had accepted the challenge of a public debate at the Press Club, but alleged that the present chairman avoided facing him. He insisted that if the government is reluctant to allow an investigation under the opposition’s leadership, then to ensure transparency the entire scam must be probed by a high-level committee headed by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court or High Court.
He further alleged that Hemant Dwivedi had earlier faced charges of financial irregularities during his tenure as chairman of the Terai Seed Development Corporation between 2009 and 2012, and was removed from that post by the then government. He questioned under what pressure such a person was appointed to head a sacred institution like BKTC, and demanded that the government clarify its role and secure his resignation.
Godiyal alleged that the BKTC Chairman is being shielded in the matter and that evidence has been tampered with. He demanded an impartial investigation into any allegations against the Chairman as well. He also accused Cooperative Minister Dr Dhan Singh Rawat of failing to take action regarding cooperative bank recruitments and other issues.
Congress leaders including Rajendra Bhandari, Dr Pratima Singh, Abhinav Thapar, Rajesh Chamoli, Amarjeet Singh and Ashwini Bahuguna were among those present at the press conference.
