If voted to power at the Centre, the National Democratic Alliance would create a separate department of religious tourism to provide facilities to visitors at pilgrim centres, Bharatiya Janata Party's prime ministerial candidate L K Advani said in Sonepur on Tuesday.
"A separate department for religious tourism will be opened exclusively to promote visits by tourists to pilgrim centres and create facilities in such places," Advani said addressing an election meeting in western Orissa. Referring to the controversy that once rocked the country over land allotment to the Amarnath Shrine Board in Jammu and Kashmir, the former deputy prime minister said a separate department is needed as a large number of tourists, including many from abroad, visit these centres situated in different parts of the country.
Narrating his experience, Advani said even Benazir Bhutto had once called him expressing her desire to visit Ajmer Sharif in Rajasthan following which he spoke to then chief minister Vasundhara Raje for necessary assistance.
Turning to politics, the BJP leader described the United Progressive Alliance as a "sinking boat" with most of its constituents deserting the Congress and asked people to compare the performance of UPA government and previous NDA rule before voting.
