In a scathing critique, Congress parliamentarian Imran Masood has charged the Yogi Adityanath administration with desecrating religious sentiments through aggressive demolitions at Varanasi’s iconic Manikarnika Ghat. The MP’s remarks come amid uproar over the teardown of ancient shrines in the holy city.
During an interaction in Saharanpur, Masood detailed the alarming scenes: Shiv temples flattened, Hanuman statues dragged by tractors – footage authenticated by the Ahilyabai Holkar Trust. He decried it as a blatant strike against devotees’ emotions, warning that such actions crush the spirit of a faith-driven nation.
Masood broadened his attack, citing Bareilly’s crackdown on home prayers and Delhi’s sacrifice of a centuries-old temple for RSS parking space. ‘Bulldozers on sacred sites – does BJP’s heart not ache?’ he asked rhetorically. Asserting that BJP tenure records the most temple destructions and land seizures, he invited open debate.
UP Congress echoed these sentiments, pressing CM Yogi for evidence if breakage videos are fabricated AI. ‘Reveal where the idol is now,’ they demanded, highlighting contradictions as officials admit demolitions while denying them publicly. This flip-flopping exposes governmental duplicity.
The episode underscores deepening rifts over heritage protection in Kashi. With spiritual sites under siege, opposition voices grow louder, framing it as a fight for cultural preservation against political overreach. The government’s response will shape public trust in times ahead.