Kottayam, June 25, 2013: Sanyasis of the Sivagiri Madhom will stage a dharna in front of the Secretariat on Tuesday in protest against what they termed the failure of the government to take necessary steps to bring back the pilgrims stranded in Uttarakhand.

Talking to mediapersons here on Monday, Swamy Saradananda, Swamy Sivaswaroopananda and Swamy Dharma Chaitanya said other State governments had taken the initiative to rescue pilgrims from their respective States. However, the Kerala government and the Union Ministers from the State were trying to create a smokescreen by issuing statements in the media.

They expressed concern over the health condition of the pilgrims in the wake of lack of food and potable water. Senior leaders of the Gurudharma Pracharana Sabha, will also join the fast and dharna on Tuesday. Mathruvedi, the women’s wing of the Sabha and other feeder

organisations, would join the agitation in the following days, they said.

A group of sanyasis of the Sivagiri Madhom, led by Swamy Guruprasad, member, Sivagiri Dharma Sanghom Trust Board, and the former treasurer Swamy Visalananda, has been stranded in Badrinath for the past one-and-a-half weeks. According to information reaching here, 10 other pilgrims from Kerala are with them, they said.

The sanyasis alleged that the Stat government had not taken the initiative in making arrangements to rescue the pilgrims by helicopter even though they had offered to meet the expenses.

Source: The Hindu, DT. June 25, 2013.