The prime minister’s bid to transform the heart of age-old Varanasi reflects his ambitions for India.
By Joanna Slater Joanna Slater Foreign correspondent covering South Asia Email Bio Follow May 25 at 12:18 PM VARANASI, India — As he ran for reelection, Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid a visit to this city of narrow lanes and innumerable temples on a curve in the Ganges River and said he was doing God’s work.
Modi’s win is a triumph for the ideology he represents, which some critics say tears at the fabric of a country that includes many religions, languages and cultures. A laborer demolishes a residential building to make way for the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Corridor in Varanasi. But to his detractors, the project is proof that he is a divider who is damaging Indian pluralism with strident assertions of Hindu identity. They say it is the work of a leader with a dictatorial streak who prizes loyalty above all and will not admit when he falls short of his audacious goals.
The project is “very close to [Modi’s] heart” and will be “a very important milestone in developing Kashi,” said Vishal Singh, secretary of the Varanasi Development Authority, who is overseeing the $75 million project. There are those who have “an open mind and want the place to be better, then those who just want things to stay the way they are.”
Swami Avimukteshwaranand, who heads the Vidya Math, a Hindu religious institution in Varanasi, said that last year, several groups of people came to tell him that small temples and religious idols were being destroyed in the demolition process. When he went to see for himself in April 2018, he was shocked to find broken idols strewn at the site. He bowed down in front of the debris and asked forgiveness.
Deutschland Neuesten Nachrichten, Deutschland Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Exit polls in India indicate victory for Narendra Modi and the BJPOfficial results are to be released Thursday, but the polls suggest Modi will return to power.
Weiterlesen »
Modi promises inclusive India after stunning election winPrime Minister Narendra Modi promised to unite the country on Thursday after a h...
Weiterlesen »
Modi scores dramatic election victory in IndiaNarendra Modi's re-election as India's prime minister reinforces a global trend of right-wing populists sweeping to victory.
Weiterlesen »
India election results live: Modi declares victoryResults are being announced in India's marathon election and CNN is following every twist and turn to hear who 900 million people voted for as their next leader.
Weiterlesen »
Will invincible Modi turn India into a Hindu nation?With the new numbers in place, the ruling BJP is expected to achieve a majority in both houses in the next two years, paving the way for an overhaul of the laws, in consonance with the party’s Hindus-first ideology.
Weiterlesen »
India election results: Modi wins in landslide victoryPrime Minister Narendra Modi turned the campaign into a presidential-style contest and dominated the debate.
Weiterlesen »
Polls predicting Modi victory in India 'fake' – Rahul GandhiOpposition leader Gandhi urges voters not to 'get disappointed by the propaganda of fake exit polls,' after a slew of exit polls projected clear victory for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Weiterlesen »