It is season of weekend rallies in Haridwar. While BJP national head Amit Shah addressed a rally in Rishikul grounds on Saturday, the Chief Minister Harish Rawat addressed a rally in Khurd village while revealing some developmental projects on Sunday noon.
The youth congress activists gathered in Rishikul grounds on Sunday evening, a day after the BJP national president Amit Shah blowed the election bugle for 2017 Assembly polls, and rubbed the ground with cow dung for purification and sprinkled holy Ganga water as a mark of cleansing the site. The Congress workers alleged that the BJP leader’s rally had marred the sanctity of the place so the purification was needed while the BJP party workers mocked at the act saying that purification of the ruling party at State was needed and not BJP.
In a melodramatic move, couple of Congress youths led by Ram Vishal Dev gathered at Rishikul on Sunday evening while CM Harish Rawat had come for unveiling of developmental programmes at village Aikkar Khurd near Pathri thana. CM unveiled and laid foundation stones of 202 development programmes worth 215.54 crores. Amongst these, projects worth 151.13 crores were unveiled and dedicated to the public while foundation stone of 40 works of 58.42 crores were laid.
Speaking to The Pioneer, youth Congress leader Ram Vishal Dev said, “logon ki lashon par chalne wale hamarey Haridwar ko apavitra kar gaye. (The man responsible of deaths of many has unsanctified the holy place of Haridwar by his coming). BJP national leader has been a key person behind mass deaths be it of Godara riots of Gujarat or Muzaffar nagar riots or other such violences in Uttar Pradesh. The place where he addressed the rally has become unholy so we are sanctifying the place with holy water.”
Mocking at these statements and acts, youth BJP leader Harjeet Singh remarked that it was state ruled Congress and its leader Harish Rawat who needed purification instead. When asked, Harjeet told the Pioneer, “Amit Shah had come for a call of good governance but the opposition party is always indulging in blame game. Congress leader Ram Vishal Yadav also tried to enter the rally yesterday in disguise and attempted to show black flags. I ask them whom are they showing black flags of resentment when the government is of Congress in the state.” Harijeet Singh further slammed the Congress saying that Harish Rawat was cloaked in corruption whether it was Nari Niketan scam of Dehradun in which no action was taken against the miscreants or illegal mining in ganga river bed or the Kedar nath revamping after disaster. “Gunda raj prevailing under Congress Government rule needs to be purified,” added Harjeet.