PM Modi raised Kedarnath issue for political gains: Congress

The Congress Party on Saturday said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi raked up the issue of Kedarnath because he has to fight the upcoming elections in Gujarat.

"Today, Prime Minister reminded of Lord Shiva when he has to face elections in Gujarat. Everything is time lined for elections. Please don't do injustice to Shivji and Kedarnath. The BJP government is raising these issues because they are going to face elections in Gujarat," Congress leader Tom Vadakkan told ANI.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi also resonated the similar viewpoint.

"Problem with this ruling party, this Prime Minister's government is that everything is intended to be symbolic gesture which tries to create wedges between communities and which tries to divide groups. They try to score a political point and a cheap electoral voting exercise everytime. To debase and to devalue icons like Rama and Shiva into such cheap politics must be un-called for," Singhvi said.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed the former UPA government for stopping him as the Chief Minister of Gujarat from carrying out reconstruction of the Kedarnath shrine after the 2013 flash floods.

"The floods of 2013 had made all of us extremely sad. That time I was not the Prime Minister, I was the Chief Minister of Gujarat. I came here to do all that I could for victims. But the government at that time asserted that they don't need the help of Gujarat government for the reconstruction of the Kedarnath Temple. But I think the Lord has decided that this work will be done by me," the Prime Minister had said.

The Prime Minister also expressed happiness over his visit to the Kedarnath Temple, saying he was happy that the revamping of the Kedarnath Temple, which was destroyed in the 2013 floods, was being done by him.

"Jan Seva is Prabhu Seva. From this holy land of Kedarnath, I seek the blessings of Bhole Baba and pledge to devote myself fully to realising the dream of a developed India by the time we mark 75 years of freedom in 2022," he added.