BJP Leaders Slammed For Wearing Shoes During PM's Kedarnath Temple Visit

The live telecast of prayers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Kedarnath and the presence of BJP leaders in the temple premises with their shoes on has kicked up a controversy, with the Congress terming it a violation of traditions.

The BJP leaders were seen wearing their shoes in the Kedarnath temple complex.

Congress general secretary Harish Rawat in a tweet said it set a wrong precedent.

"All devotees are equal in the eyes of Lord Shiva. How can people be stopped now from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the temple with their cameras or mobile phones and recording things inside it? Gradually, people will break other traditions as well," Rawat said.

After this, an old video of state Congress president Ganesh Godiyal surfaced on social media, in which he is seen talking to a TV journalist inside the Kedarnath temple after the 2013 disaster with his shoes on.

In a quick reaction to this, Mr Godiyal tweeted that all BJP leaders were wearing their shoes on the temple premises during the Prime Minister's programme on November 5, whereas he went inside the temple wearing his shoes at the time of the disaster when it was cluttered with bodies.

According to Mr Godiyal, the two instances cannot be equated. Backing Mr Godiyal's argument, Mr Rawat shared his tweet, saying pulling the bodies out of the sanctum sanctorum of the temple after the 2013 deluge was the first and foremost priority.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)