LUCKNOW, June 25, 2013: BJP national president Rajnath Singh would flag off relief materials for the victims of flash floods in Uttarakhand from here tomorrow. 

"The national president would flag off relief materials and first instalment of the fund collected by the party for calamity-hit Uttarakhand tomorrow," BJP state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai told reporters here. 

He said that the party was working on short and long term plan to provide relief to affected people in the state. 

"First BJP and RSS are providing immediate relief material including food grains, medicines, blankets, covers and fare to the people. Secondly, the party will work for the rehabilitation of the people," he said. 

Bajpai said that it was the BJP, which took first initiative when its MLAs donated their one month salary to relief fund. 

Demanding an all-party meeting over the issue, the BJP leader said, "it was necessary as majority of the victims and those stranded are from UP, but the efforts made by the government for relief measures for pilgrims from the state are either nil or negligible". 

He said that there was a provision that in case of natural calamity an MLA can give rupees five lakh from his fund. 

"We demanded that the provision should be amended and MLAs should be allowed to give Rs 25 lakh....this government can amend rules to give cars to legislators, but makes no arrangement to extend relief," he alleged. 

Bajpai said that while other states sent their ministers and opened helplines, the state government acted late. 

"While BSP leader Satish Mishra is busy in addressing Brahmin sammelans, Chief MinisterAkhilesh Yadav is distributing laptops," he claimed.

Source: The Economic Times, DT. June 25, 2013.