Amidst stinging criticism from the ruling Congress of Union Ministers visiting the State in a row sans any substantial development project for the State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to visit Uttarakhand on December 25 or 27 to lay the foundation stone for all- weather road to the Char Dhams.
Notably, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari had said earlier that an all- weather road would be built through making tunnels at the landslide-prone areas to enable the Char Dham pilgrims and the local people to cross such vulnerable areas, sans any hindrance.
Though there is no official confirmation of the PM's visit the way the State BJP leaders have suddenly become hyperactive indicates that something important is being cooked up. A BJP insider said that aside from unveiling the foundation stone of the crucial road, Modi might also announce some package for the hill State on the lines of what he announced ahead of the Bihar Assembly poll.
Earlier, in the course of the month-long Parivartan Yatra, a string of Union Ministers, including Dharmendra Pradhan, Rajnath Singh, Suresh Prabhu, JP Nadda, Manohar Parrikar, Uma Bharti and Ravi Shankar Prasad visited the State to give impetus to the party's campaigning for change.
The Congress cried foul of the back-to-back ferrying of the Union Ministers to the State, saying that they were coming to deviate the State from the path of development the State Government has laid down painstakingly.
In case Modi is coming to Uttarakhand on December 27 it indicates another thing. The date of the election would not be announced before the day, as is expected.