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Yogiji has big heart, won’t mind scrapping of Kanwar Yatra: Uttarakhand minister
Uttarakhand government’s official spokesperson and minister Subodh Uniyal said that the decision to cancel Kanwar Yatra has been made in “larger public interest”.
After Uttarakhand decided to scrap Kanwar Yatra this year owing to the Covid-19 pandemic, state minister Subodh Uniyal said on Wednesday that Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath won’t mind Uttarakhand's move. “Yogiji has a big heart. He will not mind our decision,” he told news agency PTI.
“We should have faith in religion but that doesn't mean we can play with our lives. The IMA had warned of a third wave. Even the prime minister had expressed concern over it. The decision to cancel Kanwar Yatra has been taken in larger public interest," Uniyal, who is also Uttarakhand government’s official spokesperson, added.
Uniyal’s reference to Adityanath came after he was asked if Uttarakhand’s decision to scrap the yatra will be accepted positively by the former. Notably, Uttar Pradesh has decided to go ahead with the pilgrimage with the participation of a minimum number of devotees and by ensuring strict Covid-19 norms. The Supreme Court on Wednesday issued a notice to the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government on allowing the yatra, and reserved the matter for hearing on July 16.
According to the PTI report, Uniyal also appealed to other neighbouring states of Uttarakhand from where most devotees gather in Haridwar during the Kanwar Yatra to “stop them at places from where they originate”.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami announced the decision to cancel this year’s Kanwar Yatra after chairing a meeting on Tuesday evening. “We don’t want to make Haridwar the centre of Covid. People’s lives are our first priority,” he said after the meeting.
Meanwhile, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) president Dr JA Jayalal on Wednesday told news agency ANI that any “mass gathering is going to be disastrous” for the country at this time during the coronavirus pandemic.
Several prominent politicians have also called out the Uttar Pradesh government for permitting Kanwar Yatra in this scenario. Delhi chief minister and AAP supremo, Arvind Kejriwal said that all “all governments and people” should take every required step to restrain the Covid-19 pandemic together. Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said, “UP is the biggest and a populated state…BJP wants to play the Hindu card and doesn't care about the safety of the people.”
The Haridwar Police has, in a notice, asked people to not come to the district and even sealed all of its entry and exit points in view of the cancellation of the Kanwar Yatra. The police have also stated that people entering Haridwar from outside states have to compulsorily undergo a 14-day institutional quarantine.
