By Shishir Prashant 
PrashantNews
Dehradun: A war of words over the alleged financial irregularities in offerings and donations at the Badrinath temple took a dramatic turn on Tuesday after Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal turned up at the Press Club here for a public debate he had challenged Shri Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee (BKTC) chairman Hemant Dwivedi to attend.
However, Dwivedi did not appear and later countered the challenge by inviting Godiyal to debate the issue at the portals of Badrinath and Kedarnath, saying, “No one can lie before God.”
The exchange comes amid an escalating political row following the arrest of a BKTC employee Pramod Nautiyal accused in the alleged misappropriation of temple offerings.
A former BKTC chairman himself, Godiyal had issued the open challenge after Dwivedi accused him of financial irregularities and violations of the Shri Badrinath and Shri Kedarnath Temples Act, 1939, during his tenure between 2012 and 2017.
Responding to the allegations, Godiyal had invited Dwivedi to a face-to-face public debate at the Dehradun Press Club at 12.30 pm on Tuesday, asking him to bring all documents and evidence supporting his claims.
“I have come here as promised. I was expecting the BKTC chairman to be present with the facts he has been talking about. The people of Uttarakhand deserve to know the truth,” Godiyal told mediapersons after waiting for Dwivedi at the venue.
The Congress leader also questioned the role of the BKTC chairman in the alleged irregularities involving temple offerings, alleging that an employee appointed as the chairman’s personal assistant in the Dehradun office was taken to Badrinath and entrusted with counting donations. “The chairman cannot escape accountability for the actions of those working directly under him,” he said.
Dwivedi, however, chose not to attend the debate. Speaking to the media later, he said the issue concerned the sacred shrines and should not be discussed for political mileage at a press club.
Instead, he invited Godiyal to hold the debate either at Badrinath or Kedarnath, saying the holy shrines were the most appropriate places to discuss matters relating to the temples.
“If Ganesh Godiyal is serious about a debate, I invite him to Badrinath or Kedarnath. In the presence of Lord Badri Vishal and Baba Kedar, no one can lie. Let us place all facts before the people there,” Dwivedi said.