UPA didn’t let me rebuild Kedarnath: PM

Kedarnath (U’khand), Oct 20

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today laid the foundation stones of five reconstruction projects here and hit out at the Congress, saying he was not allowed to carry out redevelopment work after the 2013 deluge when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.

Offering prayers at the Kedarnath shrine, a day before it closes for the winters, he said his visit to the Himalayan temple had strengthened his resolve to serve the nation.

Serving people was true service of the lord, the Prime Minister said after offering ‘rudrabhiskek’ at the high-altitude shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.

As Chief Minister of Gujarat, Modi said he had offered to take the responsibility of reconstructing areas surrounding the temple when the tragedy had struck in 2013, killing thousands of people.

People from different states had perished and he could not stop himself from rushing to the state after the disaster, he said.

“I expressed my wish to carry out reconstruction work at Kedarnath to the then Chief Minister of the state who agreed in principle.

“In my excitement I shared the development with the media and within an hour TV channels flashed it, causing a storm in New Delhi. They (UPA government) viewed the development with a kind of alarm as they thought the Gujarat Chief Minister will now reach Kedarnath and mounted pressure on the then state government not to agree to my request.” The then Chief Minister had no choice but to issue a statement, saying it did not need the help of the Gujarat government, Modi said.

“I went back disappointed. But perhaps Baba (Lord Shiva) had decided that the responsibility of doing reconstruction work at Kedarnath should be assigned to no one else but to Baba’s son,” he said.

The Chief Minister at the time was Vijay Bahuguna, who was with the Congress but is now with the BJP. Modi, who had visited the shrine in May this year, laid the foundation stones of five major reconstruction projects at Kedarpuri. — PTI