The members of the religious fraternity and ascetic order who came from across the country to attend Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad meeting held here on Monday said they are ready to send naga sadhus at the borders to fight the enemies of the country if the Centre asks them to. Besides, the meeting passed proposals, asking the State Government to waive off the taxes levied on the ashrams and "sant kutirs" in three months. Concern was also raised on the attempts to convert ashrams into commercial establishments. The council meet was held for the first time since Kumbh Mela 2010. The next meeting is scheduled for 28 November.
After the meeting was over Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad president Sri Mahant Narendra Giri said that proposals have been made to the Uttarakhand government, appealing to it to withdraw all types of taxes imposed on the ashrams and the "sant kutirs". He said, “The saints and akharas are not capable of paying the house taxes and other commercial taxes levied by the Harish Rawat Government The state government must waive off these taxes within three months.”
Mahant Prem Giri said, “We have also requested the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to go for permanent construction during the Ardh Kumbh Mela just as the Madhya Pradesh government has done for Ujjain Mahakumbh.” He also said that the Akhara Parishad has demanded the present UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav to fulfill the promises made by then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2006-07 regarding completion of projects to facilitate the pilgrims who would visit Prayag on the occasion of Kumbh Mela.
The national spokesperson of Akhara Parishad Mahant Mohan Dass hailed the call of Awahan Akhara seer Shiv Shankar Dev for checking commercialisation of ashrams. The ashrams should not be allowed to be converted into hotels and apartments to mint money, he stressed.
Amongst the other proposals passed by the All India Akhara Council are inclusion of at least two saints from each akhara in Namami Gange programme in view of its religious character. The akhara seers also paid tributes to the Indian soldiers who were killed in the terror strike in Uri.
Stressing that the unity of the country is sacrosanct to the saints belonging to the Akhara Parishad, the national secretary of the council Sri Mahant Hari Giri said, “lakhs of ascetic adherents being associated with the Akhara Parishad, we are ready to send our naga sadhus if the government needs them to fight on borders with the enemies. We would not allow Pakistan to tear asunder the unity of the country. We have proposed to the Centre to involve us in the fight against Pakistan-incited terror. Juna and Niranjani akharas have been asked to be ready to face the battle any time.”