Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took potshots at the BJP government at the Centre alleging that he has heard that there is a bar on its much-hyped Ganga Vilas Cruise.
Speaking to reporters, the SP chief said that people know about puja and aarti being performed on the Ganges. Akhilesh also said that whenever he went on a boat ride on the Ganges he was told that one should refrain from certain activities there as it is a religious place.
"I have heard that there is also a bar on the cruise. Till now, we have heard of aarti and puja performed on the River Ganga. When I went there and took a boat ride, I was told that certain things should be done there as it is a religious place," said Akhilesh.
However, he did not elaborate further on his claim regarding a bar on the cruise. He only said that only BJP leaders can tell for sure whether there is a bar on the cruise. " Only BJP can tell whether there is a bar on the cruise or not. I have not entered the cruise," he added.
Meanwhile, the Ganga Vilas Cruise Ghazipur's Razaganj Jetty at 11 am on Saturday. The operational director of the cruise Raj Singh said that the European tourists onboard the cruise are impressed with its state of the arts amenities adding that 60 percent of the booking for the next five years have already been done. Currently, there are 32 Swiss citizens onboard the cruise.
He also said that the majority of foreign tourists who have signed up for the cruise are from Norway, Germany, and some other European countries. The luxury cruise will cover a distance of more than 3,200 km across 27 river systems in 5 states in India and Bangladesh. It was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 13.
