Dehradun, May 19 -- The Opposition Congress on Sunday alleged that the decline in number of pilgrims visiting the Char Dham yatra this year, compared to the previous year, is due to the "communal atmosphere" in the state. Meanwhile, the BJP accused the Congress of being "confused" as previously "raised concerns over unregulated influx of pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines". According to an official data, from April 30 to May 17 (first 18 days of the yatra), 894,313 pilgrims visited the Char Dham shrines this year. Last year, from May 10 to May 27 (first 18 days of the yatra), 1,224,748 pilgrims visited the revered shrines. The Char Dham yatra began on April 30 with the opening of the Yamunotri and Gangotri temples in Uttarkashi district. The Kedarnath temple in Rudraprayag district opened on May 2 and Badrinath temple in Chamoli opened on May 4. "The responsibility for this lies with the government... with the law and order situation. When you turn the atmosphere communal... when a minor girl is assaulted in Nainital and the situation becomes communally charged... public anger spills onto the streets. And now, reports are emerging from Haridwar about the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl but there is no visible outrage there. It appears that the incident in Nainital was orchestrated... an attempt was made to inflame communal tensions. Yet, the government remained silent," said Garima Mehra Dasauni, chief spokesperson for the Uttarakhand Congress "The Char Dham yatra is the lifeline of our state... It is the backbone. It is a matter of pride, dignity, and livelihood for us. When devotees come here for spiritual and religious purposes, only then can the people directly or indirectly associated with the yatra earn a living. Compared to last year, there is a noticeable decline in the number of pilgrims. As the Opposition, we want more people to come for the Char Dham yatra so that our people can earn a livelihood," she said. "The government must realise that if the message of a safe Uttarakhand does not go out, there will be a significant loss in revenue and our people will suffer. The growing communal atmosphere must be curbed," Dasauni added. In response, the BJP said the Congress is confused and said that it previously raised concerns over the unregulated influx of pilgrims to the Char Dham shrines, and is now questioning the dip in pilgrim numbers. State BJP president Mahendra Bhatt said, "At the beginning of the yatra when a record number of devotees arrived, the Congress accused the government of compromising with their security. Now, when the number of pilgrims dropped due to tensions along the border, they are pinning the blame on the government, citing poor management. The Congress is clearly confused and is trying to confuse the public as well. They should clarify whether they want fewer pilgrims or more." "The Congress is trying to disrupt the pilgrimage by making such statements and spreading rumours. Last year too, the Congress attempted to damage the image of the state through various events and conspiracies," he said. Last year, over 4.8 million pilgrims visited Char Dham shrines and Hemkund Sahib shrine....