Kashi Vishwanath Corridor: PM's Big UP Message, "Only One Who Holds Damru Rules Kashi"

Kashi Vishwanath Corridor: PM Modi is in Varanasi for a two-day visit.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi today performed various rituals and prayers and took a dip in the Ganga as he launched the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project with chants of "Har Har Mahadev" in his constituency Varanasi in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Here are ten points on on the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor project:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi boarded the Swami Vivekanand Cruise at Ravidas Ghat in Varanasi and will part in 'Ganga Aarti' shortly. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and other Chief Ministers and deputy chiefs of BJP-ruled states are also present. The Ganga ghats have been lit up for the grand aarti.
In some of the key moments, PM Modi was seen throwing flowers at artisans who constructed the corridor and then having lunch with them, taking a holy dip in Ganga, offering prayers at the Kaal Bhairav temple, and accepting a turban from a common man in a street.
Urging the nation to take three pledges, PM Modi at the grand event said, "Today, I ask you for three pledges, not for myself but for the country- cleanliness, creativity, and a constant effort for a self-reliant India." Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, and India's independence from British rule also figured in the speech.
"God is the only 'sarkar' (government) in Kashi... only the one who holds damru rules. The new complex reflects our history, culture - where the old and new co-exist. I thank Yogi Adiyanath and the artisans who worked tirelessly to finish the corridor despite the pandemic," PM Modi said.
All BJP Chief Ministers and over 3,000 seers attended the launch of the project, which is crucial for the party ahead of the state polls next year. The Rs 800 crore corridor project - "the vision of the Prime Minister for a long time", according to the government - aims to decongest the temple complex.
This is the third project that the Prime Minister inaugurated in Uttar Pradesh in a week. Last week, he launched projects worth Rs 9,600 crore in Gorakhpur - Yogi Adityanath's stronghold - and the Saryu Canal project in Balrampur. He is scheduled to visit the state for two more events this month. Several projects that the BJP government is launching before the polls have triggered attacks from the opposition leaders, including former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.
Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday claimed credit for the big temple project. "...If there is any cabinet that passed the Kashi Vishvanath Corridor, it was Samajwadi Party's government," he told reporters. Last week, he said that "75 per cent of the work for the Saryu Canal project" was completed during his tenure.
In a statement, the Prime Minister's office said a total of 23 buildings have been inaugurated in the first phase of the Kashi Vishwanath project that offers myriad facilities to the visitors - Yatri Suvidha Kendras, Tourist Facilitation Centre, Vedic Kendra, Mumukshu Bhavan, Bhogshala, City Museum, Viewing Gallery, Food Court, among others.
"Spread of the project area stands at a massive 5 lakh square feet, earlier premises limited to just 3,000 square feet. More than 40 ancient temples have been rediscovered, restored, and beautified," it further said.
PM Modi has a packed schedule for his two-day Varanasi visit. Tomorrow, he will attend a conclave of Chief Ministers of Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, along with Deputy Chief Ministers from Bihar and Nagaland.