Modi portion dropped from Kedarnath laser show after Cong protests
A commentary of nearly five minutes, devoted to reconstruction work carried out at the shrine town under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive, was dropped, said the chairman of the Badri Kedar Temple Committee
A portion of the laser show, a new attraction introduced at the Kedarnath shrine this year, was removed after protests by Congress leaders.
A commentary of nearly five minutes, devoted to reconstruction work carried out at the shrine town under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s directive, was dropped, said the chairman of the Badri Kedar Temple Committee (BKTC), an umbrella organisation that manages Badrinath and Kedarnath shrines.
“An individual can achieve a position like Prime Minister or President. But no one is greater than god (Shiva). We don’t want to politicise Kedarnath and therefore after our opposition, the organisers dropped the portion of the show that was aimed at promoting PM,” BKTC chairman Ganesh Godiyal said in a video message.
Godiyal is also associated with the Congress. He represented the Srinagar Garhwal constituency from 2012 to 2017 in the Uttarakhand assembly as a party legislator.
Congress legislator from Kedarnath Manoj Rawat also opposed the contents of the show, titled ‘The Eternal Shiva’.
“We witnessed the show, which is not so impressive at all. The show, which is not even a laser show, has many wrong contents about the opening of the temple, etc,” Rawat said over the phone. “Also, we fail to understand why administration permitted a show that is creating sound pollution in the fragile Kedarnath valley.”
Former chief minister Harish Rawat had first objected to the laser show, saying it was nothing but a public relation exercise.
“Why any show in Kedarnath? If there is a need for such a show, then it should have been presented elsewhere, but not in Kedarnath,” the former CM had told this correspondent.
Rudraprayag district magistrate Mangesh Ghildiyal confirmed that the “modified show” was being presented in the shrine town.
BJP media coordinator Devendra Bhasin said he was not surprised over the Congress opposition.
“This is a fact that Kedarnath got a facelift in the Modiji’s tenure. And it is also a fact that the Congress never praises a good work,” said Bhasin.
The portals of Kedarnath was thrown open to devotees on Sunday amid rituals and chanting of Vedic hymns.
The original show had a total duration of around 27 minutes. After excluding the part on the PM, the duration has been pruned to 22 minutes. The show is handled by a Gujarat-based firm.
The gates of Badrinath were opened on Monday; Gangotri and Yamunotri shrines were thrown open to Chardham devotees earlier. The gates of the four shrines are closed every winter due to snow-bound conditions.