At RSS meet, demand for population policy in Uttarakhand; Char Dham board objection

At the meeting in Dehradun on Wednesday, apart from CM Dhami, BJP national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh, state party president Madan Kaushik, and RSS joint general secretaries Dr Krishna Gopal and Arun Kumar — who is RSS’s new BJP pointsperson — were present.

A majority of those present disagreed with the Trivendra Singh Rawat government’s decision to set up the Char Dham Devasthanam Board — which controls four major shrines and 49 linked temples. When the government said the board will regulate development works in shrines, a leader from an RSS offshoot asked why less popular temples and religious places of other communities are not being controlled too, according to sources. The CM then said a high-level panel will be set up to study the impact of the board, sources said.

Sources said that functionaries of RSS affiliates said that officers in districts were not addressing the problems of workers and public and this was a disappointment. They said it was very important to ensure that the cadres are satisfied as they play a crucial role in convincing voters on the ground.

RSS functionaries stressed on the need to popularise the efforts of the BJP governments at the Centre and state.

“Suggestions were given on several issues. If the state government follows these suggestions, we hope it will retain power after the 2022 Assembly elections,” said an RSS functionary, adding there was no discussion about anti-incumbency.