BJP national vice-president and Samagra Ganga campaign leader Uma Bharti has pledged every possible effort to ensure a pollution free and free flowing Ganga. She was speaking at a convention organised by the Samagra Ganga campaign here on Tuesday.
Clarifying that she is not against development, Bharti said that the Central Government should monetarily compensate Uttarakhand if power generation of the State is affected due to the efforts to save Ganga. Many sewage treatment plants should be established along the Ganga and sand mining should be river-friendly. She demanded that the headquarters of the National Ganga River Basin Authority should be shifted from Delhi to a place located on Ganga’s banks and the Central Government should set up two universities specifically dealing with study of rivers and their basins. She said that plantation on the river banks and construction of Ganga Chowkis has been taken up under the Samagra Ganga campaign. Fanning speculation on her contesting from Haridwar Parliamentary constituency, Bharti said that if this helps in fulfilling the cause of Ganga then she will not shy away from fighting the elections.
She said that she along with 5,000 women would offer prayers at the Dhari Devi temple located near Srinagar Garhwal on Wednesday. Many people believe that the Kedarnath disaster last year occurred because the idol and temple were shifted to prevent submersion in the reservoir of the Srinagar hydro power project. Bharti said that they would offer prayers to appease the goddess and ask for prosperity in Uttarakhand.
The RSS Sahsarkaryavah Dr Krishan Gopal said that there is scientific evidence to prove that Ganga water possesses antibacterial properties and Indian scientists should research its medicinal properties. Expressing deep anguish on daily disposal of 336 crore litres sewage into Ganga he called for this to be stopped immediately. He also highlighted the role of rainwater harvesting techniques in the economic development of the country.
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s aide, Balkrishna attributed the effectiveness of the herbs of the Himalayas and the Ganga basin to properties of the Ganga water. He said that Patanjali Trust has listed 12,000 medicinal plants in the whole world of which 5,000 are found in Himalayas and Ganga basin.
He said that it is unfortunate that herbs from Uttarakhand are being smuggled to USA and China for developing the drugs for treating cancer and other diseases.
Noted environmentalist Jagat Singh ‘Junglee’ stressed on the need for protecting the various small tributaries of the Ganga. Former Uttarakhand CM Ramesh Pokhriyal, BJP State chief Tirath Singh Rawat, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay and others were also present on the occasion.
Rahul comes in for flak
Talking to the media on the sidelines of the programme, Uma Bharti said that as Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi plays a decisive role in the functioning of the Central Government, he is also responsible for the poor performance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. She said that Rahul Gandhi had failed to resolve the problems afflicting the nation.