Deputy PM L.K. Advani’s announcement that PM A.B. Vajpayee would request China to change the route of Kailash Mansarovar Yatra has invited protests from the ruling Congress in Uttaranchal.Saying the annual yatra, that starts from Uttaranchal takes 28 days of arduous journey, Advani pointed out that it would take only four days if the yatra route is changed and begins from Ladakh. He said the PM would take up the issue with Chinese leaders during his visit to China this month. Advani added that Defence Minister George Fernandes also conveyed a similar request to Chinese leaders during his visit to that country.Protesting against the decision, the Uttaranchal Congress has already threatened to launch an agitation over the issue and burn Advani’s effigies. Uttaranchal Congress president Harish Rawat said the move to change the route of the yatra would not be tolerated. He claimed that BJP leaders are out to punish the people of Uttaranchal for voting out the party completely in the state where it had ruled for over a decade. Senior Uttaranchal BJP leaders, however, refused to comment on the issue.The state-run Kumaon Mandal Vikas Nigam (KMVN) looks after the annual yatra that takes off from the border district of Pitthoragarh. The KMVN says that while it runs the yatra on a no-profit-no-loss basis, the yatra season brings financial benefits to locals. That is the time when locals set up shops and work as coolies or rent out ponies to pilgrims. Locals are already upset with China refusing to give permission for the yatra this year due to SARS.The yatra attracts around 600 pilgrims every year from all over the country. KMVN runs seven camps on the Indian side for the pilgrims who make the journey in 16 batches. While KMVN charges each pilgrim Rs 14,000 for 17 days’ stay from Delhi to Lipu La Pass, China charges $600 for another 12 days’ stay on their side.
