By Admin 
Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has made serious allegations against Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the redevelopment of the famous Manikarnika Ghat of Varanasi. Kharge has said that in the name of beautification and commercialization, heritage is being demolished with bulldozers. He alleged that PM Modi just wants to paste his name plate by erasing every heritage of history.
Worked to destroy spiritual heritage: Kharge
Kharge posted on social media platform First, big and small temples and shrines were demolished in the name of the corridor and now it is the turn of the ancient ghats. You want to erase every heritage of history and just stick your name plate on it.
Kharge also shared some pictures and videos in the X post, in which bulldozers and broken statues are also visible. Kharge raised the question why centuries-old statues and temples were demolished? Why were they not kept in the museum? Lakhs of people come to Kashi for salvation, do they intend to cheat the devotees?
.@narendramodi Yes,
In the name of vulgar beautification and commercialization, you have destroyed centuries-old religious, cultural and spiritual heritage by running bulldozers at Manikarnika Ghat in Banaras.
You want to erase every historical heritage and just stick your name plate on it… pic.twitter.com/A2yjf0UrYd
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) January 15, 2026
What is Manikarnika Ghat and why is it being redeveloped?
- Manikarnika Ghat is the most sacred cremation ground in Hinduism. There is a belief that one attains salvation by performing the last rites here.
- This ghat is one of the oldest ghats of Varanasi, whose story is related to the earring of Mata Sati.
- The foundation of the redevelopment project was laid by PM Modi on 7 July 2023. This is part of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project.
The main objective of this project is to widen the ghat, provide ramp for pilgrims, seating area, VIP seating, wood plaza, cleanliness, flood protection and increase connectivity to Scindia Ghat. According to some reports, the cost of this project is around Rs 17.56 crore. The project is expected to be completed by 2026. There is a plan to use less wood and reduce pollution through eco-friendly technology.
Then what is the controversy over this project?
Local people and opponents allege that centuries-old statues and small and big temples have been damaged during the work. However, the district administration has rejected these allegations. The administration has said that no temple or cultural structure is being destroyed, everything is safe and will be restored later. Varanasi Collector has warned against spreading wrong information on social media.