Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami addressed the central guidance board meeting of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) held at Bhupatwala, Haridwar, on Friday, June 19, 2026, sharing his views with senior religious leaders and receiving blessings from revered saints and sages gathered at the event.

Posting on X, CM Dhami described the occasion as one of both participation and spiritual merit, stating — 'पूज्य साधु-संतों का आशीर्वाद प्राप्त करने का सौभाग्य भी प्राप्त हुआ' ('I had the good fortune of receiving the blessings of revered saints and sages'). He affirmed that the efforts of the VHP and the sant community toward national awakening, social unity, and cultural preservation are playing a significant role in building a 'strong, organised, and self-confident India.'

Context

Haridwar, one of India's foremost pilgrimage cities and a key constituency within Uttarakhand, regularly serves as the venue for large-scale religious conclaves and organisational summits. The VHP's central guidance board — its apex decision-making body comprising senior religious figures and organisational leaders — convened this session at Bhupatwala, a locality on the banks of the Ganga closely associated with ashrams and religious institutions.

CM Dhami has been a consistent presence at such gatherings since assuming office in 2021, reflecting the BJP-led state government's emphasis on maintaining active engagement with Hindu religious networks.

Policy Backdrop

Uttarakhand under CM Dhami has enacted two landmark pieces of legislation framed around the themes of cultural protection and social unity. In 2022, the state passed a law against religious conversion, citing the need to preserve social harmony. In 2024, Uttarakhand became the first state in India to pass the Uniform Civil Code (UCC), presented by the government as a step toward advancing equality and social cohesion across communities.

These legislative moves have been broadly aligned with the ideological positions articulated by organisations such as the VHP, which was founded in 1964 with the stated objective of consolidating Hindu society and preserving cultural traditions through grassroots outreach and institutional events.

Stakeholders and Impact

The meeting brought together senior members of the sant samaj — the community of Hindu saints and religious leaders — alongside VHP office-bearers. For the religious community, such engagements with sitting chief ministers carry symbolic weight, signalling state-level acknowledgement of their social and cultural roles.

For the broader Uttarakhand Hindu community, the Chief Minister's participation reinforces the government's stated commitment to cultural preservation, a theme that has featured prominently in state policy since 2021. BJP-governed states across northern India have maintained similar patterns of engagement with VHP and sant networks as part of a wider emphasis on Hindutva-linked social cohesion.

What's Next

Further meetings of the VHP's central board and associated state-level cultural policy announcements are anticipated in Uttarakhand in the months ahead. CM Dhami's continued participation in such forums suggests these engagements will remain a visible feature of his administration's public posture on questions of cultural identity and social organisation.