By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun 30 Jul: The BJP today raised serious questions on the propriety of what it claimed is a “political yatra” of the Congress at a time when Kanwar Yatra and Char Dham Yatra are at their peak, and when natural disasters have hit the state. Tehri MLA Kishore Upadhyay and senior BJP leader Jot Singh Bist, both ex-Congress leaders, addressed a joint press conference at the BJP State Headquarters, here, today.
During the press conference, Upadhyay claimed that at a time when the state is facing natural disasters in several places including Tehri, Congress leaders are taking out a “political” Padyatra on a religious issue. Upadhyay claimed that Congress leaders have set out on the yatra not to save sanctity or reputation of Kedarnath Dham but to save their own reputation.
During his interaction with the media, the Tehri MLA claimed that the administration along with the local people are currently facing the challenge of mitigating natural disasters in places like Boodha Kedarnath, Uttarkashi, Yamunotri, Chamoli, etc., but Congress leaders are merely engaged in politics over issues like Kedarnath. He added that the ongoing Padyatra to Kedarnath is just politics and nothing else. Upadhyay also asserted that the senior Congress leaders including PCC Chief Karan Mahara have no time to interact with and share the pain and sufferings of the disaster hit families. He added that the top Congress leaders did not meet the disaster hit people even once.
Upadhyay also reminded that when Mahara launched his Padyatra to Kedarnath from Haridwar, Kanwar Yatra was at its peak there and it was inappropriate to launch it from Haridwar during that period as such a political yatra could have caused a possible problem. But the Congress leaders are only concerned about their politics, not about any inconvenience caused to the general public. In such a situation, it would have been better if they had understood the conditions and situation was adverse and postponed their padyatra in greater public and state interest. He also questioned who would be responsible if any accident occurs during the Congress yatra during the peak monsoon season which leads to many natural disasters in the state.
Upadhyay was sarcastic while commenting that Lord Bholenath is self-sufficient and all powerful in Kedar Dham and no power in the world can reduce his glory. The Tehri MLA also reminded that Pushkar Singh Dhami Government has already banned formation of a trust or committee in the name of all the Char Dham and other temples by using the word Dham which is indicative of the famous Char Dham shrines in the state.
Upadhyay claimed that after several strong decisions and action by the state government, there is no logic or ground left for the Congress to take out a Yatra under pretext of saving the prestige and glory of Kedarnath. This Yatra is basically an attempt by some senior Congress leaders to save their own political standing. He added that the Congress leaders realise that they will not win the Kedarnath seat where byelection is due, but they are trying to confuse the public by making Kedarnath Dham a part of their strategy. But the public has seen through their strategy and the intention very well and Baba Kedar will also punish the Congress for its sins. Upadhyay also added that the Congress leaders and leaders of alliance partners from across the country are vowing to end Sanatan. He also added that, in the dark evening hours, many Congress leaders and MLAs meet the CM to get their own work done but, in the day, keep on levelling baseless allegations against the BJP Government. He added that during the Congress rule in the state, the Congress leaders had wasted government funds worth crores of rupees on making films on Kedarnath and had also entered the Sanctum Sanctorum of Kedarnath with their shoes on multiple occasions.
Senior BJP leader Jot Singh Bisht claimed that Congress State President Mahara is taking out this Yatra to save his own chair. He added that during the state visit of senior Congress leaders including PL Punia to find out the reasons of huge Congress defeat in Uttarakhand in Parliamentary elections, several Congress leaders had blamed Mahara for the party’s defeat. This is the reason that all the big leaders of his party have been absent from the Yatra till now or are just joining the Yatra at the last moment for the sake of formality. Several major leaders are missing from the Yatra, Bisht claimed. The poster boys of the Lok Sabha elections have completely stayed away from this Yatra which passed through their Lok Sabha constituency. Now in the last phase of the Yatra, everyone is busy reaching Kedarnath and ensuring their respective seats in the party.
During the press conference, state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan, Dr RP Raturi, Kamlesh Raman, Sunita Vidyarthi Boudai, and Rajendra Negi were also present.
