New Delhi/Kedarnath (Uttarakhand): With the crucial Gujarat and Himachal elections fast approaching, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday played the religion card and accused the Congress of not allowing him to rebuild the Kedarnath shrine after the 2013 deluge, when he was the Chief Minister of Gujarat.
Mr Modi, who was at the Kedarnath shrine a day after Diwali, laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects.
Calling himself a son of Lord Shiva, the Prime Minister felt perhaps it was Lord Shiva’s wish that the work be carried out by “Baba’s son”.
Making a pitch for the 2019 general election, Mr Modi said: “Blessings from Kedarnath will lead us to fulfil the aspirations of every Indian citizen in 2022.”
Hitting out at the PM, Congress spokesman R.P.N. Singh said,“We welcome Mr Modi visiting Baba Kedarnath but whenever elections come he’s sometimes son of mother Ganga, or at times Baba calls him!” He added that the condition of “mother Ganga” was there for all to see.
Recalling the Congress-led UPA government’s move to block his efforts in 2013, the PM said the then Congress Chief Minister of Uttarakhand Vijay Bahuguna had agreed but was forced to retreat after the objections of the Congress high command.
PM misleading people, says Congress
“I had expressed my desire to carry out reconstruction work at Kedarnath to the then chief minister, who agreed in principle,” Mr Modi said.
Mr Modi said, “They (UPA government) viewed this with a kind of alarm as they thought the Gujarat CM will now reach Kedarnath, and mounted pressure on the then state government not to agree to my request.”
Meanwhile, the Congress accused Modi of “disrespecting” traditions during his Kedarnath visit and “misleading” the people on redevelopment work of the shrine after the 2013 deluge. The PM, who had visited the shrine in May this year, laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri.
