Sunday, 04 AUGUST 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
The Kedarnath visit of Haridwar MLA and former cabinet minister Madan Kaushik has drawn strong criticism from the Congress party. Kaushik paid obeisance at Kedarnath on Friday when the relief and rescue operations were going on in the area. The former Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) president Ganesh Godiyal said that Kaushik along with some of his family friends visited Kedarnath when the government had put a ban on Yatra in the wake of the disaster triggered by heavy rainfall on August 31. The Congress leader disclosed that he too had booked a helicopter for Kedarnath when weather became inclement on August 31. This was done as a backup plan as the Kedarnath Pratishta Raksha Yatra of the Congress was underway at that time. Godiyal said that on August 1 the State government announced cancellation of all commercial flights to Kedarnath in order to ensure availability of Helicopters for the relief and rescue operation. He said that the Congress party cancelled its Yatra as a gesture to express solidarity with the State government at the time of the crisis. However on August 2, BJP leader Kaushik offered prayers at Kedarnath by arriving there in a helicopter. Godiyal said that by this acts the BJP leader not only mocked the government order but also ridiculed those engaging in relief and rescue operation and those stranded in different points between Kedarnath and Sonprayag.
The vice president of State Congress Suryakant Dhasmana also questioned the visit of Kaushik. He said that on one hand the relief and rescue operation is going on in Kedarnath to save lives of stranded pilgrims and local people in Kedarnath the senior leaders of BJP are being airlifted there for VIP darshan. He also questioned the absence of the MPs of the State at the time when different parts are affected by the disaster.
