Uttarakhand Congress on Wednesday embarked on a protest march to Kedarnath against the proposed construction of a replica of the Himalayan temple in Delhi.
State Congress president Karan Mahara, vice president Mathuradutt Joshi and a host of other party leaders performed a puja and a havan on the banks of the Ganga River at Har Ki Pairi in Haridwar and took the blessings of seers before starting the 'Kedarnath Bachao' yatra.
Former chief minister and senior party leader Harish Rawat too joined the yatra in Haridwar. The march is likely to conclude in around 16 days.
The Congress has been vehemently opposing the proposed construction of a symbolic replica of the Kedarnath temple in Delhi's Burari area ever since Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami attended its foundation stone laying ceremony held earlier this month.
The Congress feels replicating the temple in Delhi goes against the sanctity of the centuries-old temple in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand.
"Our four dhams symbolise our spiritual traditions. We will always oppose any attempt to tamper with them," Rawat said.
Mahara lashed out at the chief minister for laying the foundation stone of the temple in Delhi and said the trust behind its construction is named after the Dham and is receiving donations through a QR code.
He demanded that a case be registered against the people associated with the trust and asked why no action had been taken against them yet.
The temple in Delhi as well as the trust behind its construction are named after Kedarnath.
Earlier, the priests of Kedarnath staged a dharna outside the temple for several days against the proposed construction of its replica. They withdrew their agitation after getting a positive assurance from the chief minister.
Strong opposition from the Congress and priest bodies put the state government on the backfoot as it took a decision in its last meeting here to introduce a stringent law banning the use of the names of Uttarakhand's major Himalayan temples, including Badrinath and Kedarnath, for any other temples, trusts or committees managing their affairs.
State Cabinet minister Dhan Singh Rawat termed the Congress's protest march as "politically motivated" and claimed that the kind of work done for the development of the temple and its surroundings by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government was never seen before.
"The Congress' entire yatra is politically motivated. What Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our state government have done for the development of Kedarnath was never done before. People also understand that Congress is only doing politics. It has nothing to do with development," Rawat said.
Hours before the Congress began its yatra to Kedarnath, Dhami visited the temple to perform 'jalabhishek' -- a ritual in which holy water of the Ganga is offered to Lord Shiv, the deity to whom the temple is dedicated.
The chief minister also reviewed the arrangements made for the convenience of pilgrims in Kedarnath the reconstruction projects underway at Kedarpuri - a township around the ancient temple.
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