
Modi seeks Lord Vishwanath’s blessings for electoral victory
The holiest of holy Hindu cities, the culturally rich Varanasi, has eluded the BJP for long. Now, the party’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi is the great saffron hope to revive its fortunes there.
Modi, who is to address a rally in Varanasi on Friday, has his task cut out.
Despite the area being an RSS bastion and home to senior BJP leaders like Rajnath Singh, Kalraj Mishra, Om Prakash Singh and Kesri Nath Tripathi, today it has just one BJP parliamentarian out of 14 in the region – the veteran Murli Manohar Joshi.
The RSS had once coined the slogan “Ram, Krishna, Vishwanath, teeno lenge ek saath. (We would claim Ram, Krishna, Vishwanath together).”
The reference was to the cities of Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi. But of that holy trinity, Varanasi has given a cold shoulder to the BJP for almost 15 years.
“The culture of Hindu-Muslim amity, drawn mostly from the rich musical tradition, is part of the reason why the Hindutva agenda hasn’t had a great success,” explained a social scientist on condition of anonymity.
Varanasi is, after all, the city where Bismillah Khan played his shehnai at the Vishwanath temple. Even the 2006 serial blasts that hit the city’s famous Sankat Mochan temple had not been able to breach that amity.
And Modi’s gesture of avoiding the Vishwanath temple during namaz at the adjoined Gyanvapi mosque would hardly go unnoticed.
While Modi has a personal stake too — Varanasi is one of the four places shortlisted for his poll candidature — social scientists see the visit as token gesture to keep the committed Hindutva voters happy.
“Like all his rallies, this one too, would make an impact nationally,” said Professor Ashish Kaul, retired professor of sociology, Benaras Hindu University. “But the exact impact Modi would eventually make in the region is yet to be assessed.”

UP: Man kills wife, two daughters with hammer over suspected illicit relations

‘Another Vyapam’: Agriculture officers recruitment exam candidates allege fixing
- A candidate questioned by MPPEB allowed a tainted company to conduct the exam. The same company was blacklisted by UP after a question paper of recruitment exam for sub-inspectors got leaked in 2017, he alleged.

'Not enough': BJP's Anil Vij on Rahul Gandhi 'accepting' Emergency was a mistake

Bombay HC asks Amazon to take down film over actor's defamation case
- Justice Gautam Patel on Tuesday heard a defamation suit filed by model and actor Sakshi Malik against Venkateshwara Creations Pvt Ltd for allegedly using her photograph without permission in their movie.

World Wildlife Day 2021: India seeing steady rise in animal population

'Even though I am innocent': Karnataka minister resigns over alleged sex tape

No new deaths in 24 States/UTs including MP, Telangana: Health ministry

President Kovind receives first dose of Covid-19 vaccine at Delhi’s RR hospital
- With today’s vaccination, the President joins the ranks of statesmen and politicians who have gotten vaccinated since the second phase of vaccination started on March 1.

Mayawati slams Uttar Pradesh govt over law and order situation in state

Kerala CM takes first shot of Covid-19 vaccine
- The Chief Minister appealed to all eligible people to come forward and get themselves vaccinated.

Centre proposes to take over mine auction, some states oppose
- The amendment also empowers the Central government to auction mines, which the states have failed to auction. Of the 143 such mines listed for auctioning, states have auctioned only 7 since 2015, the amendment said.

I-T raids at properties of Anurag Kashyap, Vikas Bahl, Taapsee Pannu in Mumbai

News updates from HT | 'Not sedition': SC rejects plea against Farooq Abdullah
- Here are today’s top news, analysis, and opinion. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

'Proud': Adar Poonawalla's wife Natasha's message after taking Covid-19 vaccine
