Haridwar: The incessant rainfall failed to dampen the spirit of Union Minister of State Sanjeev Balyan and his supporters, who took out a four-day kanwar yatra to garner support for the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and its implementation.
The yatra was started by collecting holy Ganga water from the VIP Ghat in Haridwar. Balyan said that during his yatra, he will meet people and seek feedback on various issues including the UCC. Balyan said he will walk for four days from Haridwar to Muzzaffarnagar, his constituency. The yatra will be concluded with performing 'Jalabhishek' of Shiva at Shiv Chowk in Muzzaffarnagar.
Speaking on the heavy downpour in Uttarakhand, Balyan said rains will not have any effect on the devotees of Shiva. He said that last year more than 4 crore kavadis came to Haridwar and despite heavy rains the devotees have turned up here in large numbers.
Applauding UCC, the Union minister said that Uttarakhand is the first state where UCC is being implemented. An expert committee has also been formed by Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh and the committee will submit its report very soon, he said.
"I have prayed to Shiva to give power to the chief minister so that he can implement UCC in Uttarakhand. I also pray to God for ending the misleading propaganda on UCC and generate awareness about it," Balyan said.
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The kanwar yatra is an annual pilgrimage of the devotees of Shiva. During this, devotees carry holy Ganga water from Haridwar to their homes and seek blessings from Shiva for fulfillment of their wishes.
