How Congress Is Targeting BJP Over Demolition Drive At Manikarnika Ghat In Varanasi

The Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi aims to safeguard heritage while upgrading sanitation, space, and visitor facilities. The project is being implemented through private sector CSR support, with assurances that artefacts will be restored post-construction, amid public debate over the heritage implications and local concerns.

Redevelopment at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi has triggered a sharp political debate, even as officials stress that heritage artefacts are protected and will be reinstated. The project, launched after Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid its foundation stone in 2023, aims to improve sanitation, space management and public access at one of Uttar Pradesh’s most important cremation ghats.

According to district magistrate Satyendra Kumar, the administration and the culture department are focused on conservation while modernising facilities at the riverfront. He said artefacts removed during work have been kept safe and will return to the site after completion, a message that seeks to reassure residents who value the ghat’s spiritual identity.

Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi focuses on heritage and facilities

District officials explained that the revamp at Manikarnika Ghat, where around 150 cremations take place daily, is designed to handle heavy footfall with better hygiene and orderly movement. They said the project is addressing long-standing local concerns, including smoke from open pyres, informal wood storage and debris entering the Ganga, issues that affect both pilgrims and residents.

The ongoing Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi is being implemented under the corporate social responsibility initiative of a private company, with the support of local authorities. Work had stopped for several months because of floods after the foundation stone ceremony in 2023, but has now restarted, with officials expecting completion by the end of the year if conditions remain stable.

Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi and design features

Plans for the Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi include a wider entrance plaza and improved visitor facilities, along with refurbished cremation platforms and better circulation routes. Narrow lanes used for funeral processions are being widened to ease movement. The redesign also targets safer, more organised storage of wood, while limiting smoke and waste that can affect the Ganga’s water.

Additional district magistrate Alok Kumar said a structure containing a statue, which some claimed depicted Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar, was taken down during Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi. Alok Kumar confirmed an inquiry has begun and will establish whose statue was inside the demolished structure, signalling that the administration is formally examining the concerns being raised.

Political criticism around Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge strongly criticised the Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi, alleging that the Narendra Modi government weakened a historic site in the name of beautification. Kharge claimed Prime Minister Narendra Modi wanted to erase heritage and replace it symbolically with a personal imprint, comments that have sharpened the political debate around the project.

In a post on X, Kharge wrote in Hindi, "In the name of beautification and commercialisation, Prime Minister Modi has ordered bulldozers to demolish centuries-old religious, cultural, and spiritual heritage at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi," and further alleged that an ancient site mentioned during the Gupta period and restored by Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar had been harmed.

Kharge said, "You have committed the crime of demolishing the rare ancient heritage of Manikarnika Ghat, which was described in the Gupta period and later restored by Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar, under the pretext of renovation. Narendra Modi ji... You want to erase every historical heritage and simply affix your own nameplate," accusing the government of prioritising symbolism over preservation.

Heritage concerns and reactions to Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi

A video circulating on social media in recent days has shown a bulldozer knocking down idols at Manikarnika Ghat, where redevelopment work continues. Protesters opposed to demolition alleged that the idol of Ahilyabai Holkar at the ghat was damaged without advance notice, adding that several consecrated statues were affected, and saying this hurt religious and community sentiments in Varanasi.

Ajay Sharma, president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, said several sacred idols at the site were damaged during Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi. "These idols were 'pran-pratishthit'. Breaking them with machines in the name of development is unacceptable," he told PTI. The Indore-based Dal, part of the committee managing the ghat, condemned the episode and announced plans for legal action.

Congress’s Uttar Pradesh president Ajay Rai also raised objections to the Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi, describing the work as "an attack on the city's soul and Sanatan culture." Rai argued that initiatives at the ghat and at Dalmandi, an old market area, pointed to what Rai saw as an effort to remove the historical identity and legacy associated with "Banaras".

National leaders on Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi

Kharge further alleged that the Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi served private interests, saying, "Is the intention behind all this again to benefit your business associates? You have handed over water, forests, and mountains to them, and now it's the turn of our cultural heritage." Kharge also connected the current dispute with earlier decisions in the Parliament complex.

Kharge added that "The people of the country have two questions for you: Couldn't restoration, cleaning, and beautification have been done while preserving the heritage? The entire country remembers how your government, without any consultation, removed the statues of great Indian personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, from the Parliament complex and placed them in a corner," and questioned why old statues were broken.

Continuing criticism of the Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi, Kharge asked whether centuries-old statues could have been shifted to a museum instead of being reduced to debris. Kharge said, "Couldn't they have been preserved in a museum? You claimed, 'Maa Ganga has called me'. Today, you have forgotten Maa Ganga. The ghats of Varanasi are the identity of Varanasi. Do you want to make these ghats inaccessible to the public?"

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi also commented on Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi, posting on X: "It is extremely regrettable that centuries-old religious and cultural heritage has been destroyed by running bulldozers at Manikarnika Ghat in Banaras. Manikarnika Ghat and its antiquity hold religious significance, and it is also associated with the memories of Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar Ji.

Priyanka Gandhi added that, in her view, commercial aims were shaping decisions linked to Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi. She wrote, "In the name of development, for the commercial interests of a few people, erasing the country's religious and historical heritage is a grave sin. Even before this, many temples several centuries old have been demolished in Banaras in the name of renovation. These conspiracies to erase the religious, spiritual, and cultural identity of Kashi must be stopped immediately."

With work at Manikarnika Ghat redevelopment in Varanasi continuing, Uttar Pradesh’s administration maintains that heritage elements are being secured and will be reinstalled, while modern infrastructure will support pilgrims and residents. Political leaders and local groups continue to debate methods and intent, but the project’s stated goal remains a cleaner, better organised ghat that respects the spiritual stature of Varanasi.