PM Modi in Varanasi: Will face rising disillusionment of citizens but ignore wrath of ‘Kaal Bhairav’

Mark Twain once called Varanasi as older than “history and tradition and even legend”. After his three successive failures to visit his parliamentary constituency, Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would be in the city for a day-long visit in which he attempts to blend modernity with tradition and preserve the history and legend for cultural heritage. In the morning he will give away 600-odd e-rickshaws and pedal rickshaws to help impoverished families with sustainable livelihood. “Sach hua sapna, rickshaw hua apna (my dream to own a rickshaw has come true) is the tagline of the scheme under the government’s financial inclusion programme. About 500 e-rickshaws fitted with cameras and GPS devices will roll out in the city which is known for its poor infrastructure and worse hygiene standards. [caption id=“attachment_2438286” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Modi in Varanasi in the past. Reuters.[/caption] The cost of each e-rickshaw is around Rs 100,000, loaned to rickshaw pullers by various bankers. Local officials point out that all vehicles would be allotted in the name of women members of the household in order to prevent misuse of loan. In spite of, all these precautions, doubts about the success of this scheme persist. “How can rickshaws succeed in city with such huge craters on the road?” is the cynical retort of residents. There is nothing unusual about the scepticism in Varanasi. Within 18 months of electing Modi from this constituency, residents are gradually turning doubtful if their expectations from the Prime Minister would ever be fulfilled. The road that interconnects the city have gone from bad to worse. “There is hardly any improvement,” said a professor of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). What appears to be particularly galling is the pollution of the Ganga that continues unabated. The schemes that were announced with much fanfare to cleanse the river of its impurities could not take off as the city’s sewage is emptied into the river. Not only has nothing changed on the ground, but three attempts by Modi to visit his constituency, had to be called off, leading to speculation that the Modi-Varanasi alliance is jinxed. This allowed whispers to float that on this visit Modi would pay a visit to the Kaal Bhairav temple to pay obeisance to the “deity” known as the door-keeper of Varanasi. However, the PM appears to have ignored the suggestion only for technical and logistical reasons. As the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate before Lok Sabha elections, Modi had visited religious shrines in the city and performed rituals in a traditional manner. “However as a prime minister it becomes very difficult for him,” a senior official assisting him on the visit pointed out. However, the prime minister is keen to preserve the cultural heritage and traditions of the city to maintain its uniqueness. He conjured up an idea of maintaining Kashi (another name for Varanasi) like Kyoto, a heritage city of Japan. A group of officials from UP government and local leaders also visited Kyoto to borrow the ideas and implement them in the city. But Varanasi has not changed for better so far. There may be political reasons for the city’s plight as the state government is unfriendly to the BJP. Yet there are signs of people getting weary of empty rhetoric that delivers little on the ground. Modi is expected to face this situation of during his day-long sojourn today. Stay with us for updates from Varanasi throughout the day.