Benares- where Modi’s biggest adversary is he himself.

Banaras- where Modi’s biggest adversary is he himself.

Jupinderjit Singh

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Tana-bana - are the two words one hear most in the holy city of Kashi, Varanasi or Banaras, as it has been called in separate eras. The place has been a centre of the weaving trade for centuries, which means tana-bana - the warp and weft of a loomed or woven fabric -is used as an analogy to explain almost everything related to life here.

For the Hindu-Muslim unity, people across communities say both live in peaceful co-existence like the tana-bana and hence are inseparable.

The holy city which is known as the spiritual capital of the country lives on rich history and culture that draws lakhs of tourists from across the world. They see the rich culture, ancient buildings and the bana of filth, polluted Ganga, and squalor all around. This is tana-bana of life, they say- the good and bad, ugly and beautiful all are together. The residents simply absolve themselves for the uncleanliness and polluted Ganga.

The latest analogy of tana-bana is for NarendraModi- the BJP PM designate, who is contesting elections from this holy city apart from Vadodara in his home state of Gujarat.

His candidacy is the talk of leaders of different communities, in discussions in a tea-shop (the real ones, not the NaMo tea shop) or with youngsters over 80 ghats (on the river Ganga, where you again see a tana-bana of contrast as some volunteers of AAP spread their word and another group of youths from Delhi distributing pamphlets against AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal in adjoining ghat).

Modi's future as the prime minister along with his report card of development in Gujarat forms his tana (warp) but it can't be separated from his bana( weft) of Godhra riots and politics of Hinduism. Both are inseparable.

The tana-bana of the political spirit seems to suggest that Modi's problem in Varanasi is neither Kejriwal, nor nominees of Congress or the Samajwadi Party. It is he himself. His own image is what he is actually fighting against.

He is his own adversary. If the past of Godhra riots follow him like his shadow the future predicament of retaining either Varanasi or Vadodra seat stares at him.

No doubt he seems the favourite as the nearly 60 per cent of Hindu votes may go in his favor. Banaras, famous for banarasi paan and sari, has already produced a great son of the soil not related to the Gandhi family-Lal Bahadur Shastri. Nandan, a social worker who doubles up as a tourist guide sums up the mood, " Banaras will give another PM to the country like Shastri ji. Modi has huge support here. And if he doesn't win from this capital of Hindu spiritualism, what good is his victory from any other place?"

Muslims comprising of nearly 25 per cent of voters do not hide their opposition. They say they will vote against him and Modi has done little to connect with them, seemingly dismissing them as a factor, which can assure him more Hindu votes as well.

Mufti of the Gyanvapi Mosque here, Mufti Abdul Batin sums up the mood of the Muslims when he says, “without an apology for Godhra riots and making a vow for a secular India, safe for all minorities, Modi should not dream of our support."

The mosque has historically been the centre of the Hindu-Muslim strife here. It is located in the same premises of the Kashi Vishwanath temple but separated by huge iron bars following the Babri Masjid demolition.

Even there is some opposition against him is there among some Hindus also. A professor with the Banaras Hindu University reveals he won't vote for Modi due to the streaks of communalism in his political rise even though he is a fan of his working style and development.

“He should apologise for Godhra, being the CM who failed to protect his people, if not the one responsible for it,” the professor said.

Madhu Khushwaha , a local social worker and professor of Education feels that BJP would have to work hard for convincing the voters, “Pandit Murli Manohar Joshi represented the city for so many years. Still, there was no development. There are three BJP MLA's out of five assembly constituencies here, yet BJP stamp of development is no where. Also, Modi should not think all Hindus will vote for him. It is wrong to assume that the community votes on communal lines.”

People yet to decide in favour of Modi pose a question no one seems to have an answer to now. Will he keep Vadodara or Varanasi if he wins both,? For many here who are hoping for change, ditching Varanasi would be equivalent to a political sin.

"He chose both cities with the initial 'V' as victory starts with 'V'. His predicament would be after the elections. People of Varanasi will not forgive him if he leaves the seat after snatching it from Pandit Murli Manohar Joshi," said Chetan Updhaya, a former journalist who runs a campaign against noise pollution in the city.

"He will not leave Varanasi, " say Prem Kapoor, a BJP leader in the local BJP office.

In recent weeks Kejriwal is talked about much but he may have to do lot more than what he did in Delhi to make an impact. AAP may be favored among youngsters but a repeated performance like their upstart win in the Delhi state elections in December seems a tough probability, especially after Mukhtar Ansari, who commands a large following of Muslims, announced support for the Congress candidate Ajay Rai. Ansari wanted to contest from the seat but for criminal cases against him. Incidentally, he is facing trial for the murder of Ajay Rai’s brother. Ansari was a votary of pitching one candidate supported by all parties against Modi. He could not succeed and hence announced support for Ajay Rai.

Rai, a local belonging to Bhumihar community has termed both Modi and Kejriwal as ‘Siberian birds’ and ‘outsiders’ who will never do anything for the city.

From the Delhi experience, one can write off Kejriwal and AAP at one's own peril. One quote often heard from this city of debaters was , " we often say that Delhi is a city of educated persons but Varanasi is the city of intellectuals" That's a true Banaras citizen speaking!!

Issues confronting Banaras

Both Modi and Kejriwal have tried to spotlight the city’s development problems, which are evident from the moment you leave the airport and head into town. The holy city that welcomes millions of pilgrims and visitors with a single lane road where driving is hazardous. The city thrives on tourism and the main road bringing those needs to be the best.

Varanasi is a closely inhabited city of lanes. But where are the modern planners? Their imprint is not seen anywhere. Kutcha houses are seen on both sides of the road, with the concrete ones seemed to have been white-washed long long ago. Poverty was too evident.
Men chewed pan, spitting the liquid everywhere as if mother Earth will clean it on its own. Women were seen walking in saris, with few of them in jeans and trousers.
Pollution is rampant. On the way to the Assi Ghat (a ghat named after Assi River, which died long ago) one crosses Varuna river, which has become a sewage carrying drain. Varuna and Assi were the two rivers flowing through the ancient town of Kashi, the name preferred by the locals over the British “Banaras”or Varanasi.

One reaches the ghats and the vast Ganga greets you."Don't write it Ganges, it is Ganga. We are sick of distortion of our Hindi names of cities and rivers by the British, " said our tourist guide Raj Yadav.

The ghats line large facades of historic homes built by kings of India’s former princely states as resting homes their their subjects visiting the holy city. It is a cluster of architecture prevalent in different parts of India in those times, with each king trying to leave his own imprint on the splendour of Ganga.

Residents even today take holy dips in the polluted waters, where two-thirds of the city’s untreated pollution flows. By the time the river flows out of Varanasi, experts say, it is septic.


ProfessorVishwambharNath Mishra, a clean-water activist and leader of a local temple, Sankat Mochan, is sought after much by locals as well politicians and has been visited by Modi, Kejriwal and Rahul Gandhi this election season. He talks only about one issue- Ganga river. He doesn't talk about religion.

For him, and for many residents in Varanasi, debates about age-old issues of secularism and communalism matter less than the health of waters. Each resident of Varanasi is concerned about the pollution of the holy river and how successive government have failed to clean it, he said.

" I tell this to Modi and to Kejriwal and to anyone who comes seeking my opinion on the city,” he said. “I tell them clean the river and the city will be yours."

He has presented his model of cleanliness to the visiting politicians and the governments. The state government sought to lay sewer lines taking away the sewerage over 20 kms away from the city in opposite direction of Ganga. All the city roads are dug up these days. The sewer hasn’t reached anywhere. The land where it was to end and filteration plants were supposed to come up is no longer available. The owners of land are farmers who refused to part with the land after giving their initial approval. Now, Nath says, the government doesn’t know what to do. Modi and Kejriwal claim they have solutions.
Away from the Ganga river lies the Azad park, where the Muslims live in narrow lanes. Enter into the maze of those lanes and the deafening noise of power looms at work greets you. It goes on and on and does not seem to stop any time. So much that one feels the noise lag for hours after leaving the place. As one talks to the residents, one has to strain the ears to hear.
Mian Ahmed, a local feels the majority would vote for Congress or AAP but has some kind words to say for Modi also, “We have been traditionally voting for secular parties but AAP is a new phenomenon and we are looking at it. At the same time, writing off all muslim votes against Modi may prove to be wrong. The onset of power looms ruined the business and expertise of handlooms. Frequent power cuts damaged the business further. Several thousand weavers re-settled in Gujarat and Banglore where they got better facilities. Those settled in Gujarat now praise the government and Modi there. Some of them are trying to convince us that Modi will bring better development than others.”

Not just people of this holy city but all India waits with bated breath on the outcome of election here. Will the result development or communal tension Rajiv singh, a local social worker reflects the mood. " It is sad that so far candidates have tried to polarise votes on communal lines. I fear the tension in the air as the d-day approaches. I wish the candidates realise the inseparable tana-bana of banaras and spread it all over the world than separating it here.

Key words : Narendra Modi, Muslims , Godhra riots, Arvidn kejriwal, AAP, hindu-muslim unity