Dard-e-Banaras campaign: Congress slams PM Modi, alleges 'lack of development' in Varanasi

The Congress has lashed out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, lamenting the lack of development in his constituency of Varanasi.

The party's 'Dard-e-Banaras' campaign is an attempt to lay the foundation for when Congress chief Sonia Gandhi visits Varanasi on 2 August. The campaign highlights the problems being faced by the local people, with the party website running videos projecting their plight as also the filth in the holy city and the Ganga which flows along it.

In the short interviews, the locals from diverse backgrounds insist that nothing has changed in Varanasi in the last more than two years despite the Prime Minister representing the city in the Lok Sabha.

"Modiji comes here only for photo opportunities", says Ajit Singh, a feeling echoed by several others.

Gopal says he has stopped taking bath in the Ganga whose water is getting more polluted by the day. Gopal says Union Minister for Water Resources Uma Bharti, whose ministry has been entrusted with the responsibility of cleaning the holy river, visits Varanasi once in a while and takes a round of the Ganga but not much has been done to rid it of pollution.

Brajesh Singh says cleaning Ganga has become a "publicity stunt".

Mannu Sahani, a tea vendor, laments that Modi raised hopes of development but little has been done for the city.

"I thought that when a chaiwala comes to power, good days will come. But it has not happened". During the campaign days, Sahani says, he distributed tea for free in the hope that a bright future awaited him but that did not happen.

Sunil Jha regretted that the dirty water from the Assi Nullah is still flowing into the Ganga unabated despite promises made during the polls that it would be stopped.

Pulses are available at Rs 180 a kilo, he said, wondering whether can it be called "Achhe Din".

"In elections, we chanted 'har har Modi' in the belief that he will rid us of our pain and suffering, but no change has taken place. Plight of people is worsening with the growing price rise," laments Pandit Mishra.

Another local says there were hardly any employment avenues in Varanasi where the number of educated jobless youth was increasing.

--PTI