Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav stoked a major controversy with his remark that the “Kanwar Yatra is performed by those who are unemployed”.
“A huge number of Kanwarias on the road shows the scale of unemployment in the country. Had there been employment, the number of Kanwariyas would have been less on the roads,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.
Yadav’s remark came in the wake of recent violence in Uttar Pradesh which erupted after a Kawariya was crushed to death by a bus in Hardoi district. The agitating Kanwarias had jammed the roads and even damaged the car of Superintendent of Police Kotwali area.
The Kanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Lord Shiva, known as Kanwarias. They carry metal canisters filled with holy water from the Ganges River and offer to Lord Shiva at temples in the holy Shravan month.
According to an estimate, during a calendar year approximately two crore Kanwarias perform this holy journey.
