Pashupatinath priest appointment row: PM says the issue is being politicised
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the appointment of Nepali priests at the Pashupatinath temple is being pointlessly politicised, claiming that the appointment was not done just to replace the Indian priests.
Speaking to leaders of smaller parties at his Baluwatar residence Sunday morning, PM Dahal said the appointment of Nepali priests in place of Indians was mere coincidence and that it was not intended to kick Indian priests out of the job.
The PM said he approved the appointments, as the patron of Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT), since the mul bhatta (head priest), who had resigned three and half months earlier, refused to withdraw his resignation. The member secretary of the PADT had been asked to recommend names for the vacant posts and the appointments were done accordingly, he added, claiming that no procedures were violated.
The government had appointed Bishnu Prasad Dahal and Saligram Dhakal as head priests last week. Dahal would work as the priest of the main temple while Dhakal would be the priest of Basuki temple.
Issuing an interim order on a writ petition, the Supreme Court on Thursday
asked the government and PADT to stop the newly appointed priests from
carrying out their duties.
The appointment has drawn wrath from different quarters including the political parties, the Bhandaries (traditional caretakers of the temple) and India's main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The BJP in a statement on Saturday expressed concern over the "forced replacement of Indian priests by the Maoists to install their own appointed priests."
"The BJP President had a telephonic conversation with the Nepal President Shri Ram Baran Yadav and the Prime Minster, Shri Prachanda and sought immediate intervention to resolve the ongoing crisis. They assured him that they will look into this matter and take necessary steps," a press release issued by BJP stated.
Former King Gyanendra also took opportunity to break his long silence.
During a meeting with a group of journalists at Nirmal Niwas, Maharajgunj, on Saturday, Gyanendra said Pashupatinath should be kept free from politics, and called for unhindered religious activities at the temple.
Amid concerns over misuse of bheti (money donated by worshippers) running into tens of millions of rupees, the government had appointed the two Nepali priests, breaking the long tradition of hiring Indian priests for the job. nepalnews.com mk Jan 04 09
Related News
- BJP strongly opposes replacement of Indian priests from Pashupatinath
- Former King Gyanendra expresses concern over Pashupati episode
