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    UPA became nervous when I reached Kedarnath in 2013: PM Narendra Modi

    Synopsis

    The PM had visited Kedarnath in May when the shrine had opened for the yearly season and again on Friday ahead of the shrine closing for the year on Saturday.

    Kedarnath will become a model pilgrimage site: PM Modi
    NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a nearly two-hour log visit to Kedarnath on Friday blamed the former UPA government for stopping him as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from carrying out reconstruction of the shrine after the 2013 flash floods.

    This was Modi’s 2nd visit to Kedarnath in the last six months after BJP came to power in the state and he announced a slew of projects for the shrine.

    “When the 2013 floods happened, I was Chief Minister of Gujarat and did not wish to encroach into any other state. But I could not stop myself and I came here. I had requested then that let the government of Gujarat handle the reconstruction work here. The then Uttrakhand CM and officials agreed and I announced the same to media. But then all hell broke loose in Delhi where people became nervous thinking how Modi reached Kedarnath. Pressure was brought on CM who then announced no help from Gujarat was needed,” Modi said on Friday.

    The PM’s reference was to the then UPA government in Centre and Congress government in the state headed by then CM Vijay Bahuguna, who has since joined BJP.

    “But Baba (Lord Shiv) had decided that only this son of his would reconstruct Kedarnath. And this Baba’s son is now doing it. There is now a BJP government in Uttarakhand,” Modi said in his 40-minute long speech at Kedarnath, saying money will not be a constraint in redeveloping the shrine including widening the pedestrian route to the shrine and developing new ghats.

    The PM had visited Kedarnath in May when the shrine had opened for the yearly season and again on Friday ahead of the shrine closing for the year on Saturday.

    “Pilgrim numbers had decreased after the 2013 tragedy as people were sceptical if proper infrastructure existed here,” Modi said. Only 40,832 pilgrims had visited Kedarnath in 2014. “Over 4.5 lakh pilgrims visited Kedarnath this year. Next year it will at least be 10 lakh. My visit has sent this message,” the PM said.

    Ahead of the Gujarat elections, PM also mentioned the Nutan New Year starting in Gujarat from Friday. Somnath in Gujarat and Kedarnath are among the 12 Jyotirylingas in India and many Gujaratis visit Kedarnath as part of the pilgrimage.

    The PM mentioned how he had spent some years in the service of Kedarnath in his youth before “Baba sent me back” to serve the nation. He also appealed to corporates to extend help for reconstruction work in Kedarnath under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and cited the example of JSW who had accepted responsibility for initial work here.

    “Through the work we are doing in Kedarnath, we want to show how an ideal pilgrimage shrine should be,” the PM said. Local priests meanwhile asked the PM to construct a motorable road to Kedarnath for ease to pilgrims, which is presently an arduous trek.


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