Rally for Rivers getting huge response: Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev

Bhopal: Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev on Saturday said his initiative ‘Rally for Rivers’ currently underway is aimed at revitalising the water bodies and is getting a huge response.

“Millions of people have extended active support to the rally,” Sadhguru, a Padma Vibhushan awardee for promoting spirituality, told reporters after he drove one of the SUVs leading the automobile rally in Bhopal.

“The governments irrespective of their political affiliations in all the states are fully supporting the rally,” the founder of Isha Foundation, a not for profit organisation promoting yoga world over, said.

“One of the biggest challenges in the country is to get concurrence from the state to come with a comprehensive river policy, but for the first time in 70 years we have come to a concurrence,” he said.

The Sadhguru praised the political parties saying they have matured. “All of them are speaking in one voice about the rivers, which is a big hope for the nation,” he added.

The spiritual leader lauded Madhya Pradesh government for already sanctioning Rs 8,500 crore for plantation along river Narmada in the state and described it a very positive step.

“This is not a protest nor it is an agitation. This is the campaign to raise awareness that our rivers are depleting. Everyone who consumes water must rally for rivers,” Sadhguru said.

“India’s rivers are undergoing a drastic change. Our perennial rivers are becoming seasonal. Many of the smaller rivers have already vanished,” he added.

The spiritual leader is at the wheels since the Rally for Rivers hit the road at Coimbatore on September 3.

This campaign after covering 16 states and 23 events in major cities and traversing 8,000 km will reach and end in Delhi on October 2 with submission of a draft policy for conservation of rivers.