By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 8 Oct: Pradesh Congress Committee Chief Karan Mahara today accused Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami of doing politics in the name of religion. Mahara claimed that the way the CM made a flurry of announcements today on his Kedarnath tour indicates that the BJP realises its defeat in the upcoming Kedarnath assembly elections is certain. Mahara said that, seeing an imminent defeat, BJP has resorted to politics of religion and is announcing certain freebies.
The State Congress Chief claimed that, in reality, the BJP and its CM Dhami are not concerned about the problems of the people of the Kedarnath area. Even when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come to Kedarnath, he had attempted to deceive innocent people here. Now, Dhami is playing with the sentiments of the people by distributing freebies and making hollow promises.
Mahara asked that, if Dhami is so concerned about Kedarnath, then he should tell the people there what happened to the investigation into the theft of 230 kilograms of gold from Lord Shankar’s Jyotirlinga. He also demanded to know from the government who gave permission to build a Kedarnath temple by taking a stone from Kedarnath to New Delhi. He reminded that it was in the presence of the Chief Minister that the foundation stone for the temple in Delhi was laid. And now when the construction of the temple was postponed, why did the donations received in the name of the temple not come to the account of the temple committee?
Why had the stone which Dhami had taken from Kedarnath to Delhi not been returned to Kedarnath, as yet, he further asked. He alleged that whenever elections come, BJP leaders start playing with the religious sentiments of the people, and Dhami is also doing the same. Mahara also alleged that, keeping the upcoming byelection in Kedarnath Assembly in focus, the CM has started distributing election freebies.
The Congress leader also reminded that the CM has stated that, until an MLA is elected in Kedarnath, the people of the constituency should consider him (the CM) as their MLA. Mahara sought to know why Dhami did not say so, earlier, when the local MLA has passed away several months ago. He said that, by saying so, the CM and other BJP leaders are trying to mislead the people and to divert their attention from the theft of the gold from Kedarnath. He said that, on the one hand, the Chairman of Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee demands security personnel for the protection of 230 kilograms of gold through national and international newspapers, and, on the other hand, when the theft of gold is revealed, all the BJP leaders claim that the gold was actually only 23 kilograms.
Mahara demanded that the CM come out with the explanation regarding the action taken by his government in the case of “theft of gold” from Kedarnath. The Congress leader stated that the CM should tell the truth to the public about the security demanded by the Chairman of BKTC appointed by his own government. If this is not so, action should be taken against those who gave the statement about 230 kg of gold. He claimed that like in Badrinath, the people of Kedarnath have understood this deception of BJP and have made up their mind to show the BJP its place in the upcoming assembly by-election.
