Mallikarjun Kharge questions demolition at Varanasi's Manikarnika Ghat

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday asked the prime minister why bulldozers were being run at the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi as part of beautification work and alleged that many places of historical heritages were being "erased" in this manner.

"In the name of tasteless beautification and commercialisation, you (PM) have run bulldozers at Manikarnika Ghat in Banaras, destroying centuries-old religious, cultural and spiritual heritage. You want every piece of historical heritage to be erased and just your nameplate stuck on it," Kharge wrote in a social media post. "First, in the name of corridors, small and large temples and shrines were demolished, and now it's the turn of the ancient ghats."

Varanasi is the Lok Sabha constituency of PM Narendra Modi.


"You have committed the crime of demolishing that rare ancient heritage, the Manikarnika Ghat described in the Gupta period, which Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkarji had renovated. Kashi, the world's oldest city, is such a confluence of spirituality, culture, education and history that it attracts the entire world toward it," Kharge wrote, while asking whether there was a commercial angle to the beautification drive.

Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest cremation places in Varanasi. Kharge's comment came in the wake of reports about some locals staging a protest against the demolition work. The local authorities rejected their allegation and said the drive was only part of the redevelopment plan of the Manikarnika Ghat.