No work in Kedarnath, govt tried to hide its failure: Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank

DEHRADUN: BJP leader Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today demanded resignation of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna, alleging that his government has done nothing to rebuild the Kedarnath shrine and adjoining areas, and has tried to keep its failure under the wraps.

Launching a frontal attack on Bahuguna, Nishank, a former Chief Minister, alleged that locals were barred from taking part in the September 11 puja at the shrine as the "government wanted to keep the actual situation there under the wraps."

"No work was done by the government in these three months. Bodies are still lying here and there. Whatever has been done there for cleaning up the area, it has been done by the Kedarnath-Badrinath Mandir Samiti," Nishank said.

He also criticised the state government for not allowing the locals and other devotees to take part in the puja.

Requesting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to send a fact-finding team to Kedarnath under Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Nishank, while addressing a press conference here, claimed that there was "open loot" in the houses that sustained the nature's fury.

The BJP leader also demanded that the government should bring a white paper in the Assembly over the issue.