The Kanwar Yatra is undertaken by the devotees of Lord Shiva to fetch Ganga water from different regions during the month of Saavan. The saffron clad devotees, who participate in this holy pilgrimage, are known as Kanwariyas. The Kanwariyas walk barefoot to fetch the Ganga Jal to please Lord Shiva. The holy water brought by the Kanwariyas is offered to Shiva Lingam in their hometowns on Trayodashi Tithi. Tithi.

This year Kanwar Yatra began on July 14, and concluded on July 26. The 2022 Kanwar Yatra in Uttarakhand witnessed a record turnout of more than 3.5 crore devotees. During the Kanwar Yatra, in north Bharat, the governments of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh make extensive arrangements for the movements of Kanwariyas as any mismanagement leads to massive traffic chaos in the region.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took an aerial survey of the arrangements for Yatra in the western part of the state and showered flower petals on the Kanwariyas. This courteous gesture of CM Yogi for the Kanwariyas invited criticism from AIMIM Chief Asaduddin Owaisi. The Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP accused the state government of adopting discriminatory approach by showering flower petals on Kanwariyas and bulldozing the house of Muslims.

CVoter – IndiaTacker conducted a nationwide survey on behalf of IANS to know people’s views about the Uttar Pradesh government’s considerate gesture towards the Kanwariyas.

During the survey, the majority of respondents — 76 per cent supported the Uttar Pradesh government for showering flowers on the pilgrims. However, 24 per cent of respondents held a completely different opinion.

Interestingly, during the survey, a majority of both the NDA voters and opposition voters spoke in favour of Yogi Government’s gesture towards the Kanwariyas. As per the survey data, 91 per cent NDA voters and 64 per cent opposition supporters appreciated the state government’s arrangements for the Kanwariyas.

Similarly, the majority of respondents from different social groups, including Muslims backed the UP Government’s act of showering flowers on the Shiva devotees. As per the survey data, 82 per cent Upper Caste Hindus (UCH), 77 per cent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 75 per cent Scheduled Castes (SC), 68 per cent Scheduled Tribes (ST) and 62 per cent Muslims echoed the sentiment.

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