By Siddhant Mohan, TwoCircles.net
It is easy to understand why Varanasi, the constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, holds a special place for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha constituency in Varanasi for two days to take notice of all the development works of the city. Apart from the ‘major concerns’ of Adityanath during his visit to Varanasi, the main announcement was the development of a holy corridor inside the city.
The proposed circuit will have famous Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the centre and will connect Mrityunjay Mahadev, Kalbhairav, Temples of nine forms of Durga and Gauri.
As the CM informed the media, tourists and pilgrims face difficulties while making their way between different temples of the city. With the proposed plan, the paths between these temples, which are situated at a considerable distance from each other, shall be made free of traffic.
There is also a proposal to lit up the circuit with LEDs, however, with the speed and condition of the work in the city, the proposal still seeks many nods before being enacted.
In a meeting with the officials on the last day of his visit, CM’s principal secretary Awanish Kumar Awasthi told Adityanath that to improve and maintain the tourism practices in the city, a plan worth Rs 480 crore has already been proposed.
However, this is also a fact that the proposed plan includes only Hindu ashrams, shrine and temple renovation. The 480-crore-plan marks the famous Ghats of the Varanasi and proposes their renovation and enhancement.
This is not the first instance when Adityanath has planned something which focuses mostly on the Hindus since he became the Chief minister of the state. Soon after he took charge as the CM, he had announced the construction of a new expressway connecting Varanasi to the Ayodhya.
The aforesaid expressway, also called Purvanchal Expressway, is 212 kilometres in length and is supposed to increase the tourism between these two holy cities from the Hindu perspective.
The idea of constructing the corridor seems to be influenced from the Buddhist circuits which various states are constructing with the help of the Central government.
Yogi has also committed himself to complete an unfinished work of Akhilesh Yadav by constructing a Jain circuit in the heart of the city. Jain circuit, which was announced by the then tourism minister Omprakash Singh, was proposed by Shwetambar Jain Teerth society during 2015, a request which Akhilesh Yadav took notice of.
According to society’s chairman Lalit Raj Bhansali, the state has already issued Rs 18 crore out of the 500 crore rupees which are proposed as the circuit’s cost.
It is becoming increasingly clear that most of Yogi’s ‘ideas’ are focused towards maintaining and highlighting the religious establishments in the state. Yesterday, he announced few things which may prove this allegation against him. While addressing a rally in Ghaziabad on Thursday, Yogi announced connecting Hapur’s Gadhmukteshwar temple, Saharanpur’s Shakumbhari, and Muzaffarnagar’s Shukrtal temple with tourism business.
He also announced setting up of cow-shelters in several districts of the state. Even yesterday, the district administration in Varanasi announced free bus service between Varanasi and Ramnagar for those who want to witness the Ramlila in Ramnagar.