PM VISITS KEDARNATH AHEAD OF WINTER
DEHRADUN: Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a disguised attack on Congress on Friday for not allowing his Gujarat government in 2013 to help in the reconstruction of Kedarnath temple town, which was devastated due to flash floods in the summer.
Modi visited the shrine a day before it closes for the winter — his second visit in six months — and laid the foundation for five projects worth ₹150 crore.
He also did the ‘Rudrabhisekh’ ritual before addressing a gathering where he thanked people for electing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the assembly polls held earlier this year.
“As a chief minister of Gujarat I visited Uttarakhand in 2013 and offered to handle reconstruction works… Then CM and official agreed on my proposal but the government at the Centre (the Congress-led UPA government) was not okay with it. The state government bowed to the pressure,” Modi said in a 35-minute address, without naming the Opposition party in his speech.
The works he inaugurated include construction of residence for the local priests and an Adi Shankaracharya museum.
The Congress accused Modi of being “arrogant” over his remarks, saying he has disrespected the people of Uttarakhand. “By visiting Kedarnath today (Friday), Modiji has not only disrespected the people of Uttarakhand but also showed his arrogance,” Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala said here in a video message.
“After the 2013 disaster, is it only Modiji who is capable of redeveloping Uttarakhand? Was the work done by the then state government, people and the devotees of Lord Shiva a waste?” Surjewala asked. He said “when the ruler turns arrogant then his downfall is very close”. He urged Modi to “maintain some humility at the door of Lord Shiva”.