Ahead of PM visit, ex-cm in Kedarnath

DEHRADUN: Former chief minister Harish Rawat began his two-day tour on Saturday to the Kedarnath valley, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to reach on October 20.

Rawat will reach the holy town on Sunday, address public meetings and interact with locals. On the other hand, CM Trivendra Singh Rawat’s entire cabinet is expected to accompany Modi at Kedarnath. PM Modi is expected to address a gathering at the shrine town which closes for the winter break on October 21.

In 2013, flashfloods left a trail of destruction as rainwater, boulders and muck came down on the Kedarnath shrine and the rest of the valley. The swollen Mandakini river claimed nearly 5,000 human lives and swept away all that stood on its way.

Besides holding a special significance for the Hindus, Kedarnath is also a fixture in Uttarakhand politics which saw the Congress veteran, who replaced his bête noir Vijay Bahuguna to become the CM in early 2014, claim credit for having worked round-the-clock to rebuild the disaster-hit town.

“Everyone knows how Rawatji changed the face of the valley. He has all rights to interact with the locals,” said Surendra Kumar, spokesperson for the former CM. Before beginning his journey from Rishikesh, the Congress veteran alleged that the BJP government failed in delivering “good governance” despite the huge mandate it got. Rawat had lost from Haridwar rural and Kitcha in the assembly polls that handed 57 of the total 70 assembly seats to the BJP.