Sack Uttarakhand CM: BJP

BJP today demanded the sacking of Uttarakhand Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna alleging his government had committed "criminal negligence" by not evacuating stranded people in time leading to their death in floods and landslides and for not conducting adequate relief and rehabilitation.
BJP Vice President Uma Bharti, who had visited the Kedarnath temple as part of a three-member relief and rehabilitation team of her party, said the maximum number of deaths in the floods in Uttarakhand had taken place in the Kedar valley.
"These deaths in the Kedar valley were caused due to criminal negligence of Uttarakhand government. If Kedarnath had been evacuated immediately, lives could have been saved," Bharti told reporters here.

The BJP leader pointed out that it had rained continuously from June 14 and the state government should have taken appropriate measures before the situation got out of hand on June 17.
"Even then the pilgrims were not stopped from going uphill to the temple. Had they been stopped, 'zero-level' loss of lives would have taken place," Bharti said.
The main opposition was more scathing on Bahuguna on the issue of relief and rehabilitation.
"They (Bahuguna government) have failed completely in relief and rehabilitation. I fully agree with (Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha) Sushma Swaraj that such a Chief Minister should be sacked," Bharti said.