DEHRADUN: After newly sworn in Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat while speaking at an event ‘Netra Kumbh’ organised at the Rishikul Government PG Ayurvedic College auditorium, compared PM Modi to Lord Ram, the Opposition has lashed out at the BJP.
Congress party leaders said this is sycophancy and equating Lord Ram to any human is unacceptable.
Harish Rawat, former CM of Uttarakhand and general secretary of the Indian National Congress said, "This is heights of sycophancy where one compares a human to a God. Praising your leader is understandable but degrading our Gods by placing them at par with any human being is not right. I hope the new CM Tirath Singh Rawat understands this."
"Today leaders of different countries line up to get their pictures clicked with the Prime Minister. This is different from earlier times when no world leader cared about our head of state. The situation has changed now because of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This is a New India led by him," CM Rawat had said on Sunday.
The CM further added, "Just like Lord Ram had done good work for society and that is why people started considering him as God, similarly, in future, the same thing will happen with our beloved Prime Minister too."
Sumit Hridayesh, member of All Indian Congress Committee and a resident of Haldwani said, "This is not acceptable. Comparing Lord Ram with the PM is an insult to the God. The CM should apologize for this statement."
On March 10, the Lok Sabha MP from Pauri Garhwal constituency took oath as 9th Chief Minister of Uttarakhand.
Later on March 12, a total of 11 ministers took oath with induction of four new faces in the cabinet.
The new names include Bansidhar Bhagat, former state BJP president and MLA from Kaladhungi state assembly of Uttarakhand, Bishan Singh Chuphal, MLA from Didihat state assembly, Swami Yatishwarananda, MLA from Haridwar rural and Ganesh Joshi, MLA from Mussoorie state assembly were sworn in as cabinet ministers.
Apart from the CM, the state now has 8 cabinet ministers and 3 ministers of state with 12 ministerial berths full now unlike Trivendra cabinet in which three seats were vacant.
Distribution of the departments will be done soon, said sources from the government.