Cong holds silent protest over Badrinath row, seeks impartial probe

Bageshwar: Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal led a 30-minute silent protest at Bagnath Temple in Bageshwar on Saturday, demanding an impartial probe into the alleged irregularities in Badrinath temple donations.

Godiyal said the allegations concerning Badrinath had come after similar questions were raised at Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir, making it imperative that the inquiry should be “transparent and credible”.Claiming the Congress had evidence to support its allegations, he demanded that the Leader of the Opposition be included in any inquiry panel and sought a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) comprising members from both the ruling party and the opposition to investigate the matter.“If the govt is unwilling to include the opposition in the probe, the investigation should be conducted under judicial supervision,” Godiyal added.Alleging the temple administration was headed by govt appointees, Godiyal said those entrusted with safeguarding devotees’ faith were instead “playing with it” by misappropriating devotees’ offerings. He also accused the temple committee of attempting to suppress the issue, saying accountability in the management of religious institutions was the govt’s responsibility.“Donations offered by devotees represent the faith of millions of people. Any suspicion of financial irregularity warrants a fair, independent and transparent investigation to establish the facts,” Godiyal said.