With the last phase of campaigning coming to an end, candidates of various parties have geared up for the last leg of the battle. As we all know, PM Modi has always had a different way of approach than other party leaders. While most of them take a “vacation” on the crucial times, PM Modi chose to pay heed to important issues. The Prime Minister is on a two-day visit to Uttarakhand, to pay obeisance at the Himalayan shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath.
The flood of 2013 in Kedarnath claimed 197 lives, while 236 were injured and 4021 went missing. The pilgrimage site saw one of the worst flash floods that swept through Uttarakhand. After coming to power the Modi government carried out rigorous renovation work at the holy shrine in Uttarakhand. PM Modi has been vocal about his special connection with the Kedarnath shrine. Before the final day arrives, the Prime Minister visits the shrine to review the renovation work carried out at the pilgrimage site.
In 2013, when PM Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat, he visited the shrine following which he had offered to undertake the reconstruction at the Kedarnath. He had even proposed at a rally in Hyderabad, to collect funds for the reconstruction of the pilgrimage town. In 2017, addressing a public meeting PM Modi had said, “I came here to do all that I could for the victims. I had met the then Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and state government officials and offered that Gujarat would redevelop Kedarnath. During the meeting they agreed. And I announced it outside in the media. But when the news was flashed on television, and it reached Delhi, the people there (UPA government) panicked and within hours, the state government was pressurised to announce that it would redevelop Kedarnath itself.” In June 2013, the then Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna and the Congress party had rebuffed Modi’s offer for the redevelopment of Kedarnath and his Rs 3 crore cheque, which was in addition to a Rs 2 crore his state had donated as relief aid for rain disaster.
Not only PM Modi but party president Amit Shah also chose to visit the Somnath Temple and will be visiting Badrinath on Sunday, rather than flying to other countries, before the big day. However, some Congress leaders have already left the country, and according to reports, Scindia has left for his trip to the United States. Senior leader Shashi Tharoor also has left to attend conferences and events in the US. The mood between Congress and BJP is indeed different. While PM Modi and Amit Shah chose to revisit the shrines of the country and rejuvenate their spiritual self, opposition leaders are taking tours to other countries.
It is important to see here that, 14 seats of Uttar Pradesh and 8 seats of Madhya Pradesh will seal their fate on 19th May. It is imperative for leaders like Tharoor, to address the elections and polling procedures in the last phase of the elections. It shows that Congress has finally agreed that its chances of securing a reputational position in the seat tally are extremely blurred. The party leaders are hence escaping to other countries to avoid facing the defeat that is soon to come their way. Congress president Rahul Gandhi and his family members have a history of going on vacations during crucial times. It is not surprising that the party members have taken inspiration from their supreme leader. On the other hand, BJP is all set to win big in the elections, PM Modi has said that the campaigns and the election as a whole were very different from what it was 5 years ago. He added that he would give the country a stronger government than in 2014.