Even at times of crisis, political considerations continue to dominate the Centre’s mindspace. Just hours before Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP’s newly-appointed campaign committee chief Narendra Modi was to undertake an aerial survey of flood-hit areas of Uttarakhand, Union Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde went ahead announcing that no VVIPs, including Chief Ministers and Union Ministers, would be allowed to visit the flood-affected areas by chopper, as it was hampering the relief and rescue operations.
However, Modi ignored Shinde’s denial of permission and undertook his aerial survey of the catastrophe-hit areas. Soon after, he tweeted, “Undertook aerial survey of parts of Uttarakhand. There is a need of food, medicines and rescuing those who are stranded there. I went to Devprayag, Tehri Dam, Badrinath, Rudraprayag, Karnaprayag, Chamoli, Gopeshwar, Gaurikund, Kedar Ghati, Joshimath, Agastmuni,”
Apart from Shinde, senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh too criticised Modi’s plan to conduct aerial surveys across the affected areas. “At this time, we must help and evacuate people in the affected areas. This is no time to play politics. This is no time to project oneself,” Singh said, adding the Modi does not need to visit Uttarakhand to help people there.
Incidentally, both Shinde and Singh’s remarks about not allowing the VVIPs came even as Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Congress-ruled Rajasthan had undertaken an aerial survey on Friday.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh too had undertaken a similar exercise a couple of days earlier.
Earlier, Shinde admitted there has been a lack of coordination between Government agencies engaged in rescue work in Uttarakhand. Shinde was in the State to oversee the rescue operations and held a meeting with Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna.
The BJP described Shinde’s statement as “disappointing” and asked who was to be blamed when both the Centre and the State were being ruled by Congress. “At this time of peril, when the people affected by this calamity need to hear words of relief from the Government, contradictory remarks are being heard,” party vice president Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi told reporters in New Delhi.
“To say that there is lack of coordination among the agencies is very unfortunate in itself. Uttarakhand as well as the Centre have Congress Governments, so who is being accused ofIJ” he asked.
Naqvi said that instead of taking steps to ensure better coordination, the Centre was levelling accusations at the State Government. “If there is lack of coordination, then there was a need to correct it and provide relief to the people, those who are in pain and agony should be helped, instead of the Government at the Centre accusing its State Government,” Naqvi maintained.