Representation of saints, seers in Namami Gange project sought

The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad today demanded representation of saints and seers in the Namami Gange project for cleaning of the Ganga river.

It also threatened to launch a countrywide agitation over the issues of cow slaughter, the Ganga cleaning and building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

The parishad, which held a meeting here today, asked the Centre to give proper representation to saints in the Namami Gange project which is meant to free the river of pollution.

Demanding more stringent laws for protection of cows through a resolution adopted at the meeting, the parishad said it would not tolerate any flip-flop on these issues.

Calling Badrinath peeth Shankaracharya Vasudevanand Saraswati, Sumeru peeth Shankaracharya Jagadguru Narendrananda Saraswati and Dwarka peeth Shankaracharya Swami Achyut Ananda Saraswati as "self-styled and fake", the parishad called for their boycott and said they should not be invited to any religious programme in Haridwar.

The meeting, which was chaired by parishad chairman Mahanth Narendra Giri, gave the state government two months' ultimatum to exempt ashrams, dharmashalas and temples from paying commercial tax.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)