The simmering tension between the Hindu seers, devotees and the district administration over immersion of Ganesha idols in Ganga at Varanasi, has got the ruling Samajwadi Party in a bind.
In fact, the district administration has merely been complying with Allahabad High Court orders of 2012 and 2013 banning the immersion of idols in rivers. But this has incensed the Hindu sentiments and the seers, devotees, BJP and its allied wings have chose to target the easiest punching bag - the ruling SP.
The seers / devotees have clashed with the police twice on September 22/23 and October 5. The situation is likely to flare up again on Dussehra (October 22), when thousands of Durga idols will be taken for immersion.
The Samajwadi Party is at its wits end and has ended up in knots in its unsuccessful attempt to end the impasse.
A senior SP leader from east UP lamented , “We are caught in the cross fire between the BJP and the Congress which are engegd in one-upmanship in supporting the seers over the immersion issue. For both, the stakes are high as Varanasi is the PM’s constituency and any trouble here means international news. Congress wants to payback the BJP by creating trouble in Varanasi as the BJP had fielded Smriti Irani against Rahul Gandhi in Amethi during the lok Sabha polls.”
“While the district administration has nothing to do with politics, their compliance of the High Court Court order banning the immersion of idols in Ganga, is easily misconstruied as a move by the ruling SP,’’ he added.
On September 22/23 , the police in a midnight raid cleared a 30- hour blockade by protestors led by Swami Avimuketshwaranad forcibly immersing Ganesha idols in lakshmi Kund in Varanasi. A disciple of Shankaracharya of Dwarika, Swami Swroopanand Saraswati, he is known for his proximity with Congress. He also runs RsGanga Seva Abhinayam’ parallel to Ganga cleaning campaign of Sangh Parivar.
On October 5, the Swami led the RsRsAnyay Pratikar Yatra’ and clsashed with the police which led to violence and arson and left several cops and protesters injured in Godaulia area. Subsequently, Congress MlA Ajay Rai was arrested for conspiracy and sent to Fatehgarh jail. later AICC general secretary Madhusudan Mistry and UP Congress chief Nirmal Khatri rushed to Fatehgarh to meet Rai in jail.
Till October 5, the BJP was lukewarm to the agitation after the violent agitation, it sudden;ly got interested. On October 8, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat held a close door meet with RSS and BJP leaders in Varanasi.He reportedly chided teh cadre for letting Congress hijack the stir.
Ironically while both parties have been vying to play the messiah and protecting the rights of Hindus in immersing the idols in rivers, they are silent on the Allahabad high court ban.
Meanwhile, in a back channel diplomacy, the SP has drafted in former BHU student leader and Tourism minister Om Prakash Singh to broker peace in Varanasi. Presently busy in Bihar poll campaign, he has already held talks with the Swami, who refused to speak to PWD minister Shivpal Yadav.
Confirming this, the Tourism minister said, “ I have met Swami several times in the last fortnight. He is a respected saint and does not have political affiliation. The Varanasi administration has provided two alternative sites for immersion –Vishwasundari pond and a pond near Rajghat bridge - both of which have been widened. I am confident the religious leaders would agree to an amicable solution before Dussehra.’’