DEHRADUN, Jun. 18, 2023 (TBINN)
It was during an election rally in Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, in April 2019, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the hill state needs another dham or pilgrimage site.
Borrowing from the Hindi word sainik, which means soldier, the Prime Minister announced a Sainya Dham, justifying it on the ground that every second household in Uttarakhand has someone in the Army.
On the othet hand, influential Army Community in Dehradun is incensed that the Army Welfare Fund is being used to construct this Sainya Dham. From an initial allocation of Rs 58 crore, the allocation has been increased to Rs 98 crore. Why should the limited amount in the Army Welfare Fund, meant to rehabilitate war widows or Servicemen disabled during operations, be utilised for such an extravagant project, asks Dehradun-based Col (Retd.) Vijay Duggal.
Whereas, Uttarakhand’s Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami and an inner circle led by Ganesh Joshi, Uttarakhand’s Minister for Soldier Welfare and Agriculture, is determined to turn Modi’s dream into reality.
Related and authoritative people shortlisted Guniyal Village, a village adjoining capital city of Uttarakhand, to build this fifth dham. Dehradun District is where most of the ruling party’s top brass live. It is where the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is executing the so-called Gujarat model, which means a relentless focus on Hindutva and nationalism until the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Guniyal Village has serene area comprising mountain ranges and creeks and is one of Dehradun’s few green spaces. The Sainya Dham’s two temples, auditorium, victory memorial and gallery, featuring soil from the homes of 1,734 deceased soldiers, will now be constructed here. Will these temples be really dedicated to these dead soldiers asks Col. (Retd) Vijay Duggal of Dehradun.
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