Thousands ofpeople remain stranded in Uttarakhand, nine days after the hilly state waspounded by rain. While the Army and Air Force are leading a heroic and massiveeffort to find and rescue them, politicians appear to be searching forself-promotion.
Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi arrived in Gauchar late last night to take stock of rescue efforts. Earlier on Monday, in acarefully orchestrated photo op, Mr Gandhi stood by his mother, Congress presidentSonia Gandhi, as she flagged off a convoy of trucks carrying clothes,medicines, packaged food and candles for Uttarakhand.
Mr Gandhi's visit to Uttarakhand came on a day when Home Minister Sushil KumarShinde warned that incoming VVIPs disturb rescue and relief efforts. (Read) Thegovernment in Uttarakhand added that it will not allow other states fromlaunching rescue efforts of their own.
That policy appears to be in response to Narendra Modi, the chief minister of Gujarat, who swooshed into Uttarakhand with a teamof officials. With chartered planes and luxury buses, they allegedly rescued15,000 Gujaratis.
Congress minister Manish Tewari said Mr Modi's intervention displays,"rank opportunism and sheer desperation to try and politicise and evenmilk tragedy for political gains."
The BJP hasretaliated by suggesting that Mr Gandhi did not rush back from a trip abroadwhen Uttarakhand turned into a national disaster. "When the country is insuch need, then the
yuvraj (crown prince) of the country (Rahul Gandhi)was abroad," said BJP spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi.
Smaller parties are also intercalating politics with rescue efforts.Chandrababu Naidu, who heads the TDP in Andhra Pradesh, has written to the HomeMinister complaining that pilgrims stuck in Uttarakhand are being discriminatedagainst, and are not being air-lifted.