Dehradun Jan 30 PTIBarely six months after becoming Uttarakhands youngest chief minister in July last year Pushkar Singh Dhami finds himself facing the onerous task of piloting the BJP to a second consecutive victory in the assembly polls against a redoubtable opponent like Harish Rawat who leads the Congresss do-or-die comeback battle Though Dhami is a fresh face and his six-month tenure gives a good account of him achieving a huge target of getting more than 60 seats for the saffron party against a seasoned challenger like Rawat is anything but smooth Rawat had lost both the seats he had contested in 2017 but he continues to be one of the most popular faces in Uttarakhand politicsHe has also emergedas the most preferred chief ministerial face in several opinion poll projections of late Rawat is hopeful of reaping a rich harvest due to an anti-incumbency working in favour of the Congress He raises the issues of BJP giving three chief ministers to the state in five years despite coming to power with a big majority unemployment and inflation wherever he goes The trend of power oscillating between the BJP and the Congress every five years in Uttarakhand also strengthens the Congresss hope The BJP is confident of a win because of the bigdevelopment projects launched for Uttarakhand in different sectors over the past five yearsIts leaders at their virtual meetings appeal to people to give another five years to the double engine government so that the projects which have the potential to change the lives of people could be completedHowever the 46-year-old Dhamis task of recording an even bigger win for the party than in 2017becomes more complex as he got a short span of just six months to perform and leave his mark He admits he got little time to perform but has the satisfaction of spending each moment of his short tenure to serve 125 crore people of the state In a short span of just six months we took more than 550 decisions and acted on them The previous Congress government only made announcements They never saw the light of day while we acted on all the announcements we made Dhami asserted Though his tenure is short it has been full of challenges as he had quite a few contentious issues to deal with like the anger of the priest community which had been agitating for months demanding dissolution of the Chardham Devasthanam Board the raging second wave of Covid and the after effects of a shoddily handled Haridwar Kumbh which had earned it the tag of a Covid superspreader With a devastating spell of rain that struck in November killing a large number of people and causing large-scale damage to roads bridges and railway tracks there was indeed too much on his plate Though the disaster was comparable in scale with the 2013 Kedarnath calamitythe promptness of the government machinery helped save lives and minimise the damage Even Home Minister Amit Shah praised Dhami for his hands-on approach in handling the crisis saying he had left little for the Centre to doDhami also displayed his political disaster management skills soon after coming to power when he constituted a committee headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani to listen to all stakeholders and resolve the contentious Devasthanam Board issue Showing political acumen he dissolved the Devasthanam Board and withdrew the related legislation to pacify angry priests who had already started preparations for contesting the polls Despite heading a cabinet of seasoned ministers far older than him he succeeded in taking everyone along and keeping the BJP flock together with the only exception of Harak Singh Rawat who recently defected to Congress after being expelled from the party Open praise by Prime Minister Narendra Modi Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh from public platforms shows that Dhami has risen to their expectations Dhami through his hard work and no-nonsense approach has been able to counterbalance the anti-incumbency against his two predecessors to a large extent a political observer here said Though the final judgement is in the hands of voters few will doubt that Dhami has brought in a new flavour with his youthful and focused approach BJP insiders said Howeverapart from propelling his party to a second consecutive victory at the polls Dhami also has to break the trend of incumbent chief ministers losing the polls in Uttarakhand Incumbent CMs never win in Uttarakhand Nityanand Swamy lost in 2002 BC Khanduri lost in 2012 and Harish Rawat lost both the seats he contested in 2017 political analyst JS Rawat saidND Tiwari the only CM of Uttarakhand to complete his full five-year term did not contest in 2007 when he was the sitting chief minister he saidAs tradition has it CM candidates in Uttarakhand have to fight not only their opponents on the other side but also rivals withinhe saidDhami is pitted against PCC working president Bhuwan Chandra Kapri in Khatima whom he had defeated in the 2017 assembly polls by a margin of 2709 votesIn 2012 he had defeated Devendra Chand of the Congress by more than 5000 votes in Khatima The presence of the Aam Aadmi Partys former state president SS Kaler in the fray in Khatima may give a new twist to the contest on the seat which Dhami has been winning for two consecutive elections The sizeable population of Sikhs and farmers in Khatima may also work against Dhami as despite the withdrawal of the three farm laws by the Centre the issue is still alive J S Rawat said PTI ALM DV DV

Dehradun Nov 30 PTI The Uttarakhand government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday ordered scrapping of the Chardham Devasthanam Board reversing the 2019 decision of his predecessor Trivendra Singh Rawat Dhamis decision led the Congress to term the scrapping of the Board as defeat of the saffron partys arrogance even as the Chardham priests hailed the decision terming it as their victory and thanking Dhami for it while distributing sweets among themselves They also offered prayers at Gangotri and Yamunotri temples in the Himalayas praying for Dhamis long life After studying all aspects of the issue we have decided to withdraw the Chardham Devasthanam Board Act Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said Chardham priests had been demanding scrapping of the board ever since its creation in 2019 saying it was an infringement of their traditional rights over the temples A high-level committee constituted by Dhami to look into the Devasthanam Board issue had submitted its recommendations to him in Rishikesh on Sunday We went through the details of the report submitted by the panel headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani After considering all aspects of the issue our government has decided to withdraw the Act Chief Minister Dhami said Constituted during the tenure of former Chief Minister Rawat the Chardham Devasthanam Board managed the affairs of 51 temples across the state including the famous Himalayan temples of Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri Chardham priests described the scrapping of the Board a result of the sustained pressure they had mounted on the government to scrap it It is a historic decision A unique incident of Indian democracy where a government had to withdraw its own decision under the public pressure Chardham Teerth Purohit Hak Hakookdhari Mahapanchayat spokesman Brajesh Sati said He however thanked the chief minister for the decision Gangotri Mandir Samiti president Harish Semwal and Yamunotri Teerth Purohit Mahasabha president Purushottam Uniyal said it was a victory of Sanatan dharma They said they thank the chief minister on behalf of the entire priest community for scrapping the board and protecting the sanatan dharma Chardham priests had agitated long for scrapping of the board They had hooted and shown black flags to former Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat in Kedarnath earlier this month forcing him to return from there without a darshan They had also performed sheershasana outside Cabinet minister Subodh Uniyals residence in Dehradun recently demanding scrapping of the board besides staging a protest rally on Saturday Congress campaign head for Uttarakhand and former Chief Minister Harish Rawat described it as a victory of the priests community As in the case of the three agri laws arrogance has once again been defeated The BJP has taken the decision sensing its imminent defeat in the coming polls It is a victory of the priests who refused to budge I congratulate them the AICC general secretary said Aam Aadmi Partys chief ministerial candidate Col Retd Ajay Kothiyal also congratulated priests for their victory saying their letter written in blood to the President and the Prime Minister had finally borne fruit He also said by scrapping the board the BJP government has confessed that it had committed a crime by constituting it PTI ALM RAX RAX

New Delhi Nov 20 PTI The Vishva Hindu Parishad VHP on Tuesday welcomed the Uttarakhand governments decision to scrap the Chardham Devsthanam Board saying it is in line with Hindu sentiments and the spirit of the Constitution of India They were reacting to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhamis announcement that his government had decided to withdraw the Chardham Devasthanam Board Act after studying all aspects of the issue Chardham priests had been demanding scrapping of the board ever since it was set up in 2019 saying it was an infringement of their traditional rights over the temples The VHP had supported their demand The Vishva Hindu Parishad welcomes the decision to scrap the Chardham Devsthanam Board Act by the government of Uttarakhand under Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami the saffron outfit said in a statement This decision is in accordance with the Hindu sentiments and the spirit of the Indian Constitution mandating that the governments shall not interfere in religious affairs it added The VHP said its Kendriya Margdarshak Mandal at its meeting in Haridwar in April had called upon all the state governments to return Hindu temples and other religious institutions to the Hindu society The then chief minister of Uttarakhand had also visited the meeting and the seers had conveyed this to him it added While welcoming the Uttarakhand governments decision to scrap Chardham Devasthanam Board the VHP said that it will continue its campaign for liberating Hindu temples from government control in other states It is our cardinal belief that the Hindu temples should be returned to and run by the Hindu Samaj in a transparent manner with the participation of all sections of Hindu society Also the money and properties donated to or belonging to the Hindu temples shall be utilised for Hindu causes only the saffron outfit added PTI PK AAR

Dehradun Nov 30 PTI The Uttarakhand government on Tuesday decided to scrap the Chardham Devasthanam Board even as the opposition Congress termed it as a victory of the priests and defeat of BJPs arroganceThe Chardham priests have hailed the decision and thanked Chief Minister Pushkar Singh DhamiAfter studying all aspects of the issue we have decided to withdraw the Chardham Devasthanam Board Act the chief minister saidChardham priests had been demanding scrapping of the board ever since its creation in 2019 saying it was an infringement of their traditional rights over the templesA high-level committee constituted by Dhami to look into the Devasthanam Board issue had submitted its recommendations to the chief minister in Rishikesh on SundayWe went through the details of the report submitted by the panel headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani After considering all aspects of the issue our government has decided to withdraw the Act Dhami saidConstituted during the tenure of former chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat the Chardham Devasthanam Board managed the affairs of 51 temples across the state including the famous Himalayan temples of Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and YamunotriThe priests welcomed the decision but asserted that it was a result of the sustained pressure they had mounted on the governmentIt is a historic decision A unique incident of Indian democracy where a government had to withdraw its own decision under public pressure Chardham Teerth Purohit Hak Hakookdhari Mahapanchayat spokesman Brajesh Sati saidHe also thanked the chief minister for the decisionCongresss campaign head for Uttarakhand and former Uttarakhand chief minister Harish Rawat described it as a victory of the priestsAs in the case of the three agri laws arrogance has once again been defeated The BJP has taken the decision sensing its imminent defeat in the coming polls It is a victory of the priests who refused to budge I congratulate them the AICC general secretary said PTI ALM RHL

Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], November 30 (ANI): Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami on Tuesday announced that the State government will be withdrawing Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board Act after months of protests by Char Dham Teerth-Purohit Hak Hakookdhari Mahapanchayat Samiti and other organisations.

Dehradun Nov 29 PTI Uttarakhand Tourism and Culture Minister Satpal Maharaj on Monday submitted the report of a cabinet sub-committee on the Chardham Devasthanam Board to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh DhamiThis comes a day after a high-level committee constituted by the state government to look into the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act 2019 submitted its final report to DhamiThe recommendations of the two panels have not been made public yetPriests of the Chardham -- Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri -- have been opposing the board ever since it was created during the chief ministership of Trivendra Singh Rawat saying it is an infringement upon their traditional rights over the Himalayan templesThe Devasthanam Board looks after the administration of 51 temples including the Chardham PTI ALM DIV DIV

Dehradun Nov 28 PTI A high-level committee set up by the Uttarakhand government to look into the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act 2019 submitted its final report to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami in Rishikesh on SundayThe report was submitted by committee president Manohar Kant DhyaniPriests of the Chardham -- Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri -- have long been demanding the dissolution of the Devasthanam Board which they see as an encroachment upon their rightsConstituted during the chief ministership of Trivendra Singh Rawat the board is mandated to run the affairs of 51 temples in Uttarakhand including the ChardhamSoon after taking over former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced that the temples will be removed from the boards control But he had to step down before he could keep his wordState Assembly Speaker Premchand Aggarwal and cabinet ministers Subodh Uniyal and Satpal Maharaj were present when Dhyani submitted the panels final report to the chief ministerDhami said a decision on the matter will be taken after examining the committees reportThe recommendations of the committee were not made public immediatelyThe committee had submitted its interim report to the state government on October 25 PTI ALM DIV DIV

Dehradun Nov 23 PTI Intensifying their agitation for the dissolution of the Devasthanam Board a group of Chardham priests gheraoed the official residence of Uttarakhand Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal here on TuesdayThey also staged a dharna outside the ministers residence and performed shirshasana headstand to press their demand for the withdrawal of the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act 2019Uniyal met the protesters and asked them to wait till November 30 after which a major decision about the board could be takenPriests of the Chardham -- Kedarnath Badrinath Gangotri and Yamunotri -- have long been demanding the dissolution of the Devasthanam Board that they see as an encroachment upon their rightsConstituted during the chief ministership of Trivendra Singh Rawat the board is mandated to run the affairs of 51 temples in Uttarakhand including the ChardhamSoon after taking over former chief minister Tirath Singh Rawat announced during Kumbh that the temples will be removed from the boards control But he had to step down before he could keep his wordThe priests under the banner of Chardham Teerth Purohit Hak Hakookdhari Mahapanchayat will also gherao the state assembly during its winter session starting December 7 in GairsainThe protesters said they will take out an Akrosh rally from the Gandhi Park to the secretariat here on November 27 and observe it as a black day The state cabinet had given its nod to the creation of the Devasthanam Board on November 27 2019Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has constituted a high-powered committee to look into the issue and thrash out a solution that is acceptable to all stakeholdersThe committee has already submitted its interim report to the state government but Dhami said a decision will be taken after it submits the final report PTI ALM DIV DIV

Dehradun Oct 26 PTI Former chief minister Harish Rawat Tuesday offered prayers at Kedarnath and promised the teerth-purohits at the Himalayan temple he will dissolve the Chardham Devasthanam Board if elected to powerHis forehead smeared with sandalwood paste and a trident in hand Rawat also danced next to an ascetic with long tresses to the chants of Shiv tandav stotram outside the templeThe Congress leader later posted several videos of his visit to Kedarnath on his Facebook pageTalking to reporters in Kedarnath Rawat said most of the reconstruction works done in Kedarpuri had been initiated during his tenure as the chief ministerHowever the present government has made superficial changes in the works to put its own stamp on them and pass them off as its own he saidWhen asked about his priorities if elected to power again Rawat said he would first take up his unfinished work and ensure that the traditional rights of hak-hakookdharis and priests remain intactTo a question on whether he would dissolve the Devasthanam Board he said From our side it stands dissolved The teerth-purohits standing next to Rawat greeted his announcement with loud cheers shouting slogans like Harish Rawat tum sangharsh karo hum tumhare saath hain Harish Rawat you lead the fight we are with youTeerth-purohits have been agitating against the board ever since it came into existence during Trivendra Singh Rawats tenure They feel it was an encroachment upon their traditional rights over the temple Prompted by their prolonged agitation against the board Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami had to set up a committee headed by Manohar Kant Dhyani to look into the issue and submit a reportThe panel spoke to all stakeholders and submitted its report to the state government on MondayHowever the recommendations of the committee have not been made public PTI ALM TIR TIR

Dehradhun : Incessant rains lashed Uttarakhand for the second consecutive day today, prompting the authorities to advise Char Dham pilgrims not to proceed to the Himalayan temples till the weather improves. Pilgrims headed for Yamunotri have been asked to stay in Badkot and Jankichatti, whereas those en route to Gangotri have been asked to stay in Harsil, Bhatwari and Maneri, Uttarkashi District Magistrate Mayur Dikshit told PTI. Kedarnath and Badrinath-bound pilgrims have also been requested not to proceed on their journey till the weather clears.