CM Yogi cancels Ayodhya visit after demise of cabinet minister Kamal Rani due to COVID

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's scheduled visit to Ayodhya on Sunday to review the preparations for Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan ceremony has been cancelled in the wake of the demise of Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister Kamal Rani Varun who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19.

Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the minister's death and in a condolence message issued on Sunday, he said, "Kamal Rani Varun died on Sunday at around 9.30 am. She was an experienced and capable leader. She discharged her responsibilities with competence. She was a dedicated public representative, who was always working for the welfare of deprived and oppressed sections of the society."

"The information about the untimely demise of my colleague in the Government of Uttar Pradesh, Cabinet Minister Smt Kamal Rani Varunji, is disturbing. The state lost a devoted public leader today. My condolences to his family. May God grant the departed soul a place with him," Yogi Adityanath tweeted.

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Kamal Rani, who had been a Lok Sabha member twice in the past, was currently an MLA from Ghatampur in Kanpur, handling the portfolio for Technical Education in the Uttar Pradesh Cabinet. Kamal Rani was among the 18 members inducted in the council of ministers headed by Adityanath on August 21, 2019, the first such reshuffle since the BJP government came to power in March 2017.

Speaker of the state Legislative Assembly Hriday Narayan Dixit has also condoled the minister's death while Principal Secretary Jitendra Kumar said, "The national flag will be flown at half-mast in the state capital, and in the district on the day of cremation." 

Adityanath was scheduled to visit Ayodhya on Sunday to take stock of preparations for the Ram temple foundation stone laying ceremony which will be conducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 5, after which the construction of Ram Temple is set to begin. Chief ministers of several states, Union Cabinet ministers and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, among others are also likely to participate in the Bhumi Pujan ceremony.

(With PTI inputs)

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