The Kashi-Vishwanath temple’s mahant Rajendra Prasad Tiwary’s stinging comment —“Ye log dharma ke vyapari hain (These people are the merchants of religion)”—was aimed at none other than  Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his courtiers. Tiwary had said these words specifically referring to the Kashi Vishwanath corridor, a new pathway to the temple of which he is the pujari , inaugurated recently by Modi with much fanfare . For the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP) governments at the Centre and in the State of Uttar Pradesh , the new pathway was an instrument to etch the names of their leaders , including Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the history of the ancient town and its holy temple . They claim to have made the “ way to Lord Shiva  “ smoother and easier for devotees . But for people like Tiwary and hundreds of other “ messengers of God “ in Varanasi,  the pathway , which was built demolishing hundreds of smaller temples and historical buildings , including  libraries dating back to several centuries , is a symbol of crass commercialisation and kitsch absolutely adverse to the tradition and culture of Varanasi .

It’s hard to tell how long NarendraModi will represent Varanasi in the Lok Sabha. But what is very clear is his style of politics—interpreting Hindutva as designed by the Rastriya Swayamsevak Sangh and othering the minorities—is antithesis to what Varanasi has represented over the centuries .