Modi’s drive to clean Ganga cosmetic, says Mahant

On the evening of December 12, Vishwambhar Nath Mishra, dressed in a traditional dhoti, was struggling to make his way through to the famous Dashashwamedh ghat, barely three km from his house.

The ghat was spruced up and illuminated for the Ganga Aarti hosted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Japanese counterpart, Shinzo Abe. The Special Protection Group personnel denied him access, disregarding his VIP ‘pass,’ and directed him through the common gate. Mr. Mishra, the Mahant of the famous Sankat Mochan temple, was shocked and felt humiliated. The officials soon realized their error and tried to make amends. But Mr. Mishra, miffed with the negligence, refused to participate further. He also boycotted Mr. Modi’s banquet, for which he was specially invited.

“If you cannot manage an event, how can you address the problems of the Ganga and Varanasi,” asked Mr. Mishra.

Mr. Mishra’s frustration with this little episode, reflected his growing scepticism towards the Centre’s drive to clean up Varanasi and the Ganga. In the run-up to the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, he had praised Mr. Modi for his pledge to clean the Ganga. But today, the Mahant, an engineering professor at the prestigious Banaras Hindu University, is disappointed and critical of the Centre’s approach towards the city. “What we have in place is a mere cosmetic arrangement,” he said.