Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Kashi Corridor for non-stop TV coverage about a month ago, there has been much discussion about how this event will affect the Uttar Pradesh elections, where voting begins on 10 February. The new location in Varanasi, which is the Prime Minister’s constituency, despite the surge of Covid, has attracted thousands of visitors, both tourists and devotees religion, but it is unclear whether it will overcome opposition in the eastern part of the state. For BJP supporters, the massive new structure strengthens the PM’s image as a powerful politician Avatar in the city, but there is debate over whether a major event can remedy the disappointing economic situation that pervades this part of the state.
Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the first phase of Kashi Vishwanath Dham last month
The urban area of the Prime Minister’s constituency includes three voting council seats in the final stage of the election on 7 March 2022. These three seats are:
- Varanasi South;
- Varanasi North;
- and Varanasi Cantonment
All three voted for the BJP much before the Modi era began.
Varanasi South, home to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, has been hosted by the BJP since 1989; The runner-up was the Congress and in 2017 its candidate won 42% of the vote in the state election while the BJP candidate got 53%. Parliamentary 2017 candidate Rajesh Mishra is not sure he will run for re-election but said “My 2017 performance without party structure shows that there is a section in Kashi that yearns for Parliament” .” Outside this seat, there is no mention of the Congress in eastern Uttar Pradesh known as “Purvanchal.”
Congressional Varanasi 2017 Candidate, Rajesh Mishra
What can’t be missed today is two Mahants or priests of the most influential temples in the city, Kashi Vishwanath Mandir and Sankat Mochan Mandir were both strongly anti-BJP in an era when the Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath, was a Mahant himself (Gorakhpur Math about 215 km from Varanasi). The Mahant by Kashi Vishwanath mandir, Dr. Kulpati Tiwari, said that he used to campaign with appeals “Har Har Modi, Ghar Ghar Modi” but now indignant with the demolition of several small temples hosting the companion deities of Lord Shiva for the corridor. “In the end, the gods and goddesses Kashi will banish them (BJP),” he said.
He attended the inauguration of the new corridor connecting the iconic Kashi Temple with the Lalitha Ghat along the Ganga River but revealed “I sat in a corner, both offended and surprised by so many details in the worship. , rituals and even mass immersion are all wrong.” He said this in the filing and added, “I’m not afraid of death,” and will enter politics, if necessary, after the establishment.” a party of Baba Vishwanath”. He revealed that various political parties had been in contact and stated that recently, Trinamool leader Mamata Banerjee had phoned him. “But I will follow Baba Vishwanath,” the 64-year-old said.
Dr. Kulpati Tiwari, Mahant by Kashi Vishwanath Mandir
If Mahant feel disrespected, at a short distance, the Domsof Harishchandra Ghat has felt respected since Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request “Dom Raja” (king of crematoriums) was one of the proponents of his candidacy for candidate Varanasi in the last general election. Harischandra and Manikarnika are the two main ghats used for cremation in Varanasi. A leader of this community, Pavan Chaudhary, sat amid the smoke rising from the crematoriums and recalled the second wave as people dumped their bodies on the ghats. Images of drowned bodies in the Covid River drifting into the Ganga River have made international headlines and point to mismanagement during this deadly phase of the pandemic. But Pavan Chauhary said that in Varanasi, every unclaimed body is cremated with full rituals, adding that miraculously no Doms have contracted Covid. The Doms gods have their own deities such as Kalu Ram Baba, and Pavan Chaudhary proudly displays a wreath made of old human skulls that he calls “priceless”. Life is full of hardships, he said, but “at least the Prime Minister has given us some respect”. This is a symbolic gesture for the Prime Minister as the Doms, a Dalit community, number only a few thousand in Varanasi.
Leader Dom Pavan Chaudhary
According to the 2011 census, 70% of Varanasi’s population is Hindu while 28% is Muslim.
There are many hereditary traditions in Varanasi. Unlike the sudden outcry of Mahant of the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the older classical is the critique of the very important Sankat Mochan Mandir family, a Hanuman temple believed to have been founded by the poet-saint Tulsidas. Visitors from all political parties call for current Mahant, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, a renowned environmentalist and professor at Banaras Hindu University. He spoke out against “state-promoted fact-based Hinduism” and said it sought to destroy the fabric of society. He criticizes the Kashi corridor and what he calls a “smart city model”, ignoring the basic fact that there is still no sustainable plan to prevent sewage from entering the Ganges. He pointed to an image of hate The place the Prime Minister took a dip in the river on December 13 and said the very next day it was surrounded by rubble from work that continued after its inauguration.
Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, Mahant by Sankat Mochan Mandir
The Mahant’s family follows an approach opposite to the BJP-RSS project. In 2006, Varanasi witnessed a bomb explosion at the Sankat Mochan temple, followed by another explosion at the railway station. The death toll is 28 people; An Islamic terrorist group has been identified as the culprit. The family that ran the temple responded to the terror with a civilized grasp of the syncretic culture of Banaras. For 97 years, Sankat Mochan Mandir has hosted Banaras’ most famous music festival; family rooted in the classical tradition of the city, with the present Mahant he plays Pakhwaj, it’s a version of drum. Until that year, the music festival was not open to Muslim artists to perform because it took place in the shrine. But after the 2006 explosion, an invitation was sent to Mumtaz Hussain Khan, a shehnai The player from Banaras, becomes the first Muslim performer at the temple.
Mumtaz Hussain Khan, who has since passed away, was the grandson of the great Bismillah Khan, the recipient of the country’s highest civilian title, Bharat Ratna, who passed away in 2006. The former residents still remain. talk about Bismillah Khan’s habit: playing games shehnai on Balaji hate, followed by a dip in the Ganges and a performance at the Kashi Vishwanath temple even as he remained an observant Muslim. Kulpati Tiwari, Kashi Vishwanath Mahant, also recalls his grandfather’s time listening to Bismillah Khan and patronizing musicians. “Nobody went around saying we should get rid of the Muslims,” he recalls.
Late conductor Shehnai Ustad Bismillah Khan
But such memories can be lost in the fog of hatred. On January 6 this year, the posters were posted on Assi Ghat, one of the most popular posters ghats city, warning non-Hindus to stay away. They were signed by the local Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal. I happen to be with hate that day; Varanasi’s friends said it was just another attempt to improve the atmosphere but advised me to be careful.
Muslims cannot be excluded from some of Varanasi’s richest traditions. After all, the 15th-century poet Bhakti philosopher Kabir is said to have been born into a family of Varanasi weavers who were Muslim, though he would criticize all organized religions. Varanasi’s weavers, mostly Muslim, form the basis of the city. There is a phrase used to describe the weaving process, “taana baana”, it could also be a metaphor for the community’s relationship with Varanasi. “Taana” means creating the first layer of the fabric by spreading the yarn lengthwise; “baana” yarn is arranged horizontally. Master weaver Maqbool Hassan says we are all knotted and knit together as we sit amid his exquisite creations that have won national and international awards.
Master weaver Maqbool Hassan
Despite the economic troubles that erupted from bankruptcy, Covid, and a shrinking business, there is much pride in the fabrics, styles and textures that have been created on Varanasi’s looms. . There is also sadness and fear at the systematic exclusion of a community that makes up a large part of the population of Varanasi. The Muslim vote will be overwhelming on the Samajwadi Party candidates with some in South Varanasi opting to participate in the Congress. They know that the city is a stronghold of the BJP, they want their vote to help them get through the charged battle.
In addition to the major events visited ghats since Varanasi was chosen as the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the city exists in many classes. It really is the city of magic ghats still shrouded in fog on winter mornings, a settlement known for its classical music and sounds of riyaaz (practice), chant “Har Har Mahadev” and the humming of looms weaving exquisite Banarsi silks in the alleys and alleys.
The Kashi Corridor is the newest monument in town, one that is expected to strengthen politics Hindutva sentiment and strengthen the Prime Minister’s image in the upcoming election is more difficult than expected by the BJP a few months ago.
(Saba Naqvi is a journalist and an author.)
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are the personal opinions of the author. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability whatsoever.
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