Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of damaging the Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi in the name of beautification and renovation.
The Opposition leader alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to erase every historical heritage to "simply affix" his own nameplate.
"In the name of beautification and commercialisation, Prime Minister Modi has ordered bulldozers to demolish centuries-old religious, cultural, and spiritual heritage at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi," Kharge said in Hindi in a post on X.
"You have committed the crime of demolishing the rare ancient heritage of Manikarnika Ghat, which was described in the Gupta period and later restored by Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar, under the pretext of renovation. Narendra Modi ji... You want to erase every historical heritage and simply affix your own nameplate," he said.
For the past few days, a video has been circulating on social media showing a bulldozer demolishing some idols at Manikarnika Ghat, the main cremation ground at the holy city of Varanasi where redevelopment work is underway.
"Is the intention behind all this again to benefit your business associates? You have handed over water, forests, and mountains to them, and now it's the turn of our cultural heritage," Kharge alleged.
"The people of the country have two questions for you: Couldn't restoration, cleaning, and beautification have been done while preserving the heritage? The entire country remembers how your government, without any consultation, removed the statues of great Indian personalities, including Mahatma Gandhi and Babasaheb Ambedkar, from the Parliament complex and placed them in a corner," Kharge said.
Why were the centuries-old statues at Manikarnika Ghat destroyed and reduced to rubble, he asked.
"Couldn't they have been preserved in a museum? You claimed, 'Maa Ganga has called me'. Today, you have forgotten Maa Ganga. The ghats of Varanasi are the identity of Varanasi. Do you want to make these ghats inaccessible to the public?" Kharge said.
District magistrate Satyendra Kumar was on Wednesday quoted as saying that artefacts had been "secured" by the culture department and would be reinstalled in their original form after the work is completed.
He added that the revamp was aimed at improving sanitation and space management at the ghat which witnesses a large number of cremations daily.
The Congress's Uttar Pradesh president, Ajay Rai, accused the BJP government of destroying the historic ghat in the name of renovation, calling it "an attack on the city's soul and Sanatan culture.”
Rai also claimed that projects at the ghat and Dalmandi – a prominent, old market in the old city – reflected an attempt to erase the legacy, identity and history of "Banaras".
Protesters opposed to the demolition drive alleged that the idol of Ahilyabai Holkar at the ghat was damaged without prior notice in the name of redevelopment, hurting community sentiments.
Ajay Sharma, president of the Sanatan Rakshak Dal, alleged that several consecrated idols at the ghat were damaged, calling it an affront to religious sentiments.
"These idols were 'pran-pratishthit'. Breaking them with machines in the name of development is unacceptable," he told PTI.
The Indore-based Dal, a private trust that is part of the committee that oversees the ghat, condemned the act and said it will take legal action against the agencies concerned.
Additional district magistrate (ADM) Alok Kumar was quoted as saying that during the ongoing renovation work, a structure containing a statue claimed to be of Ahilyabai Holkar was demolished.
He confirmed that an inquiry has been initiated and will also determine whose statue was inside the demolished structure.
PM Modi had laid the foundation stone for the project in 2023. The work was halted for months due to floods.
The redevelopment of Manikarnika Ghat, where around 150 cremations are conducted daily, was launched recently with the objective of modernising the historic site.
The project includes revamping surrounding streets, creating an entrance plaza, improving visitor facilities, refurbishing cremation infrastructure, and widening narrow pathways used for funeral processions.
The renovation is being carried out as part of the corporate social responsibility initiative of a private company.
The redesign also seeks to address long-standing concerns such as unregulated wood storage, smoke from open cremations, and the dumping of debris into the Ganga.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year.