While people are divided about the developmental works carried out by the Prime Minister in Varanasi, they are sure he has no challenger in this constituency. The only question is about the margin of victory
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has represented Varanasi for the past five years. Has the constituency changed for the better? Has it become cleaner? Has it transformed into another Kyoto as promised by him? Are the weavers better off? Is the air less polluted? Is the Ganga cleaner? Is the infrastructure better? The jury will be out on May 23, when results to the general elections will be declared. Modi filed his nomination on April 26 from Varanasi, seeking a second term. He has stuck to the seat of our civilisational consciousness yet again and the frenzy of supporters was on full play during the mega road show on April 25.
A visit to Varanasi will reveal that Modi has done a lot but it is “work-in-progress” still, as Professor AK Srivastava of the Banaras Hindu University claimed. I found that Varanasi stands divided between those who support Modi’s ambitious developmental push and those who oppose it. In 2014, he had promised a metro, a monorail, six-lane highways, flyovers, satellite towns, 24-hour electricity and water, a clean Ganga, luxury cruises on the holy river, solid waste management plans and other developmental works.
Modi’s supporters point out that he has not only focussed on improving roads but has also improved the overall infrastructure in and around the city. The Multi-Modal Terminal and the Trade Facilitation Centre & Crafts Museum and heritage lights installed across Varanasi are some examples. On paper, Modi has brought about projects worth Rs 30,000 crore in five years.
The first thing that grabbed our attention after landing at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport was the four-lane road to the city with three flyovers. One of the cab drivers, Kamalesh, pointed out that it now takes 45 minutes to reach the city as compared to three hours earlier. A clear view of the Ganga, wider roads, flyovers and bridges welcome you on entering Varanasi. But there were no signs of posters.
According to Anand Chaube, a staunch Modi supporter, improvements include gas pipeline, the Ring Road, bridges over the Ganga and the Varuna. But Modi’s critics pointed out that roads had been dug up for laying underground cables. The city was dotted with filth, bumpy roads, potholes and crumbling bridges as a result. Congress candidate Ajay Rai noted that sanitation had improved but poor drainage system was still a problem. Rai was critical of a dedicated Viswanath corridor to the temple. The project involves a 50 feet wide pathway after demolishing around 250 structures, some built in the 17th century. The Rs 600 crore project will create 45,000 square metres of prime space.
During a recent visit, this writer found that some of the residents from whom the houses were bought were not happy. Some religious leaders, too, opposed the project, saying the project was trampling “Kashi’s soul.” Mufti Maulana Abdul Batin Nomani was concerned about the security of the masjid adjacent to the temple. RSS leader Ramesh and VHP leader Divakar claimed that pilgrims were now able to move about freely. Incidentally, a visit to the temple proved that the pilgrims welcomed this corridor.
The boatmen, who row the guests around the 90 ghats, are Modi bhakts. Showing the installation of lights on the riverfront, our boatman, Mahesh Saini, was proud of the improvements. “Modiji ne bahut kaam kiya” he said. There is a visible difference in Assi, Dashashwamedh and other ghats. The Alaknanda, the 60-seater luxury vessel floated by Nordic Cruise Line, offers breathtaking rides on the Ganga.
But Samajwadi Party candidate Shalini Yadav noted that not far away from the Assi ghat, most of Varanasi’s waste spills into the Ganga. More than three-fourth of the total sewage generated in the city is dumped in the Ganga through Assi and other drains. Varanasi is also faced with a severe pollution problem. Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, the mahant of Sankatmochan temple, was the most vocal voice on the lack of a sewage system and Ganga cleaning. Modi had announced a Rs 21, 000 crore plan to clean up the river with Rs 600 crore allotted for Varanasi.
Haji Habibullah, a Muslim weaver, pointed out that the famous Banarasi silk industry is almost on the verge of a collapse because of mass production of garments and Chinese competition. There are about six lakh weavers in the city, most of them Muslims, and many have abandoned their profession because it was no longer profitable. Modi’s Mudra loan schemes have helped them but the number of beneficiaries is falling. Besides, they face the difficulty of filling forms for GST as most weavers are illiterate.
Modi has no challenger in Varanasi. So the BJP and RSS workers are complacent. Ajay Rai and Shalini Yadav are weak candidates. Had Congress’ Priyanka Gandhi contested, there would have been some excitement. The only debate now is the margin of victory. Modi had won with over 580,000 votes in 2014. He told his supporters after filing the nomination: “Mother Ganga will take care of me.”
(The writer is a senior political commentator and syndicated columnist)
