Uma Bharti to go on padyatra along Ganga

Union Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti is all set to go on a “padyatra” from Gangotri to Gangasagar in October to check implementation of the clean Ganga project.

The plan is creating buzz in political circles that it’s timed to encash political dividends ahead of the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh.

Uma is not new to ‘padyatra’ politics. Though sources close to the minister deny any political motive behind her initiative, the saffron-clad minister had actively participated in rath yatra, which BJP patron L K Advani led in 1990 leading to the demolition of Babri Masjid.

“The minister wants to undertake a padyatra to receive first-hand accounts of the clean Ganga campaign, which is one of the big ticket schemes the Modi government wants to showcase ahead of the next 2019 Lok Sabha elections.  She believes that the issue should not be politicised.

“Politics will only hamper serious attempts to clean Ganga,” a source close to the minister said. The padyatra will start in October in Uttarakhand from Gangotri to Gangasagar, the source added.