Ahead of polls, Rajnath Singh says if 5th Dham made in Uttarakhand, it’ll have soil from martyrs’ homes

Ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttarakhand, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that if a fifth Dham is made in the state, it will have the soil from the martyrs’ homes.

While addressing the Shaheed Samman Yatra in Uttarakhand’s Pithoragarh, Singh also stated that the names of martyrs and their villages should also be written in the fifth – ‘Sainya Dham’.

“There are four Dhams in Uttarakhand and if ‘Sainya Dham’ is made, we’ll have a fifth Dham here. This Dham will have soil from martyrs’ homes…Names of martyrs and their villages should also be written in the (Sainya) Dham,” ANI quoted the Defence Minister as saying.

He also attacked neighbouring Pakistan saying that Islamabad tries to destabilise peace in India, however, a clear message has been sent to the neighbouring country against it.

“Pakistan makes all efforts to destabilise peace in India but we have sent a clear message to them that we will hit back. This is a new and powerful India,” Singh said.

“On Nov 18, I went to Rezang LA where I was told that about the miracle done by 124 jawans of Kumaon Battalion…It can never be forgotten. I was told that 114 jawans were martyred, but they killed over 1200 Chinese soldiers,” the defence minister added.

Taking a cue from Prime Minister Narendra Modi terming Uttarakhand as Sainya Dham after the traditional Char Dhams, the state government had in 2019 announced that they will set up the fifth Dham in Dehradun.

The Shaheed Samman Yatra will pay tribute to the sacrifices made by soldiers from Uttarakhand. Covering 70 blocks in 13 districts of the state, it will collect soil from the homes of 1734 martyrs till December 7.

The soil will be then be used in the construction of Shainya Dham in Dehradun.