The point is, the effort to save the Ganga and other rivers is a national issue, requiring the support of every section of our society.

The first major governmental initiative in this direction was the Ganga Action Plan, launched with much fanfare by Rajiv Gandhi in April 1985. His intention was good, but the result, after spending nearly Rs 1,000 crore over 15 years, was almost nil. This is principally because it was sought to be implemented, like all other government programmes, in a bureaucratic manner, with little effort to involve the common people, religious leaders and their establishments, other political parties or, for that matter, even the Congress party’s own Seva Dal. But there is no point in criticising the Congress.

The moot question in today’s context is: Is the BJP, which professes a nationalist ideology and draws inspiration from India’s cultural and civilisational heritage, ready to adopt Nirmal Ganga (Clean Ganga) as a major commitment in its agenda for governance? Will the RSS, VHP and Hindu religious bodies channelise their enormous energies into a task dear and sacred to every Hindu around the world?

Govindacharya told me that the Ganga Sanskriti Pravah Yatra is not only apolitical but also seeks the support and participation of leaders of all political parties. That is how it should be. Mother Ganga has united India. Now let all of us unite to perform our duty by her.