The 2014 Kashmir Floods vs. 2013 Uttarakhand Floods – Did Congress Ignore the Death of Hindus

In the month of September 2014, the Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) saw some of its worst floods in decades, but with the newly elected central government led by PM Modi, also saw some of the nation’s best rescue efforts in recent history. During the floods, a total of 277 Indians died, from both the Hindu and Muslim communities. However, even though the floods were causing casualties and damages at a rapid rate, the BJP-led central government and Prime Minister Narendra Modi managed a fast and efficient relief effort with 82 aircraft and helicopters, 10 battalions of Border Security Force,329 columns of Indian Army and 300 boats. According to home secretary, 10 VSAT systems were air lifted to restore critical telecom towers and a satellite link from Bardula had been provided for crucial communication. With the large amounts of money  spent on rescue and relief efforts, many Modi critics that once said that he would ignore the state of Jammu & Kashmir were again proven wrong as he has shown that no matter of one’s religion, if there is suffering, he will try his best to help. Now, if we look at the numbers of casualties vs. the money spent on relief efforts, it is clear that the central government did not hold back, especially if looked side by side versus the money spent on relief efforts from 2013’s Uttarakhand floods (Figure 1A).

In Comparison, the Uttarakhand floods, widely known as the Kedarnath floods since the the mass flooding took place in one of Hinduism’s holiest pilgrimage towns that is home to the Kedarnath temple. Heavy rainfall in the region of North India took place for 4 consecutive days. Warnings by the India Meteorological Department predicting heavy rains were not given wide publicity beforehand, causing thousands of people to be caught unaware, resulting in huge loss of life and property. In total, the Kedarnath floods saw a total of 5,748 casualties with many more people as missing and took place in the summer of June 2013, under the Congress-led UPA government.  Almost all the casualties that died during the Kedarnath floods were Hindu due to the flocks of religious Hindus that participate in the holy pilgrimage to the Kedarnath temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. Sadly, many critics have suggested that the Sonia Gandhi-led Congress party and UPA-led government were strongly anti-Hindu as they saw Hindus as voters of their opposition party – the BJP.

There are 2 quick and significant conclusions when comparing the casualties vs. relief spent ratio of the 2014 Jammu&Kashmir floods and the 2013 Uttarakhand floods:

1. PM Modi and the BJP-led central government during the Kashmir floods took all measures and used good governance to minimize casualties and compensate victims (a ratio of 8.4 crore relief aid per death – 277 deaths were reported)

2. The Congress-led govt in 2013 allowed for thousands to die (most of whom were Hindu), due to mismanagement, corruption and carelessness (a ratio of 0.18 crore relief aid per death –  5,748 deaths were reported)

It is sad to see deaths in any type of disaster, in any place around the World, but it is very disheartening and frightening to know that in today’s World there are still politicians and people out there that ignore the deaths of thousands due to their religion, in this case Hindus.