Harish Rawat takes jibe at PM Modi; 'Meditating in Kedarnath caves built by Congress'

Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Harish Rawat on Thursday took a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the development of the area surrounding the Kedarnath temple after the 2013 floods. Rawat remarked that today people are mediating in "caves built by us."

PM Modi had visited the hill shrine during the 2019 general elections and mediated there. Recently, the Prime Minister had inaugurated a reconstructed Shri Adi Shankaracharya Samadhi and laid the foundation stone of remodelling projects worth Rs 400 crore there.

During a public address at Parade Ground in Dehradun, the ex-CM praised Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Wayanad MP was the only national leader to visit the state after the 2013 disaster. "You were the only national leader who came to Uttarakhand after the Kedarnath tragedy to wipe our tears. You went on foot to Kedarnath," Rawat said. 

Launching a veiled attack, Rawat added, "When I was made the chief minister in 2014, you told me the only responsibility being assigned to me was the reconstruction of the affected areas. And today people are meditating in the caves built by us at Kedarnath."

The former Uttarakhand CM also credited Rahul Gandhi for the victory of farmers' agitation against the Centre's three agrarian laws. Furthermore, he credited Congress with the withdrawal of the Devasthanam Board Act in the state, saying that it was against the autonomy of the temple.

"If voted to power, we would create a Uttarakhand, free from unemployment, inflation and migration. We would also script a new chapter in women empowerment," Rawat said.

Congress forms panels to select party candidates for Uttarakhand polls

Last month, Congress constituted a screening committee for selecting party candidates for Goa assembly polls. Avinash Pandey has been made the chairman of the screening panel for Uttarakhand. Besides Pandey, other members of the committee are Virender Singh Rathore and Ajoy Kumar.

AICC Uttarakhand in-charge Devendra Yadav, Uttarakhand Congress president Ganesh Godiyal, CLP leader Pritam Singh and Harish Rawat are the ex-official members of the panel, apart from the AICC secretaries for the state. The assembly polls in Uttarakhand are likely to take place in February 2022. The term of the current assembly will expire on March 23, 2022.

(With PTI inputs)