AAP taunts Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami over Devasthanam board issue: 'Kuch Kar Dhami'

Heating up the political battle for the hilly state, AAP's CM face for Uttarakhand Col Ajay Singh Kothiyal on Sunday, coined 'Kuch Kar Dhami' for the CM Pushkar Dhami. Addressing a rally in Gopeshwar, Kothiyal lamented at the govt's inaction over the Devasthanam board law, land mafia, unemployment, women empowerment, electricity and water bills. Uttarakhand, along with Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Manipur, Goa will go to polls in February 2022.

AAP: 'Not Pushkar, Kuch Kar Dhami'

AAP's multiple freebies

Recently, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal visited Haridwar and promised to start a Tirth Yatra Yojana - offering free trips to Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, Ajmer Sharif and Kartarpur Sahib. He added that the round-way trip offered by the government will include Air-conditioned hotels and buses for a comfortable travel experience. Kejriwal also rode in an auto and promised to solve the problems of autowalas of Uttarakhand if voted to power.

AAP has vowed to develop Uttarakhand as the spiritual capital of the world, fielding Col. Kothiyal as its CM face. Imbibing the Delhi model, Kejriwal has offered to deliver 300 units free electricity, waiving off old electricity bills, free electricity for farmers and 24x7 electricity. Kejriwal has also sought a Bharat Ratna for Chipko Movement leader Sunderlal Bahuguna, a resident of Dehradun. Touting Delhi's hospitals and schools, he said that he would build similar world-class amenities in Uttarakhand too.

Devasthanam board issue

Eyeing to make inroads in the hilly state, AAP has rallied behind the Devasthanam board protests. AAP had termed PM Modi's recent visit to Kedarnath which was live telecasted across India an insult. Alleging that the PM 'broke the age-old traditions of the shrine', AAP took affront  to cameras being present in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple while the PM prayed.

PM Modi's visit to the shrine comes amid priests' protests demanding disbanding the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Board. The priests, who are performing pooja, have already staged a black-band protest while performing duties. Tirath Singh Rawat had revoked the act - freeing 51 temples from state government's control - including Haridwar and Badrinath, but the Act has not been revoked by the Assembly yet.  A high-level state committee which looked into the Uttarakhand Char Dham Devasthanam Management Act, 2019 submitted its final report to CM Dhami on Sunday.

45-year-old Pushkar Singh Dhami took over as the new Uttarakhand CM at the BJP's MLA meeting after Tirath Singh Rawat resigned citing 'constitutional constraints'. Dhami, the Khatima MLA, has served as the State President of the BJP youth wing BYJM and a close aide of outgoing CM Rawat and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari.  Rawat replaced Trivendra Singh Rawat in March 2021, ten days before the completion of his govt's 4 years, amid resentment among cabinet members.