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BJP to give Laddoos in Varanasi on inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Corridor by PM Modi

The food and civil supplies department had been entrusted with the task of preparing and distributing the laddoos
Last Updated 04 December 2021, 11:07 IST

The BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, it appears, does not want to leave any stone unturned in making the proposed inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor in Varanasi by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 13.

The district administration in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Modi, plans to distribute laddoos to lakhs of households in the city on this occasion. "We plan to distribute laddoos to all the seven-eight lakh households in the city," a senior official associated with the event told DH over phone from Varanasi.

A booklet would also be distributed along with the sweets containing information about the spiritual importance of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, which was one of the 12 'Jyotirlingas' (Shiva Temples) in the country.

The official said that every packet would have two- or four laddoos depending upon their size. "We may have to prepare around 28 to 30 lakh laddoos...the preparation will start at least two days prior to the inauguration," another district official said.

The food and civil supplies department had been entrusted with the task of preparing and distributing the laddoos.

A senior BJP leader here, when queried about the sweet distribution on such a large scale, said that the people of Kashi (the ancient name of Varanasi) the Kashi Vishwanath Temple were devotees of Lord Shiva and the renovation of the Temple was a great event for them.

"No political meaning should be taken out of the sweet distribution...it's essentially the prasad which every household in the town will be given," the BJP leader added.

According to the sources, around 25 thousand seers, including prominent Hindu religious leaders, heads of Mutts and Akharas, from different parts of the country had been invited to attend the function.

Besides a host of programs, including meetings of travel writers, panchayat presidents, Dalit intellectuals and entrepreneurs, historians and others would also be held after the inauguration.

A meeting of the chief ministers of the BJP ruled states would also be held at the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Complex a day after the inauguration by Modi. The event assumes added significance as it comes barely two months before the state goes to polls and appears to be a strategy by the BJP to reiterate its commitment to Hindutva to its supporters.

The Kashi Vishwanath Corridor Project, whose foundation stone had been laid by the prime minister in March 2019, had a Vedic library, meditation platforms, virtual Vedic gallery, a cafeteria, food court and other facilities for the pilgrims. An estimated Rs 1,000 crore had been spent on the project.

The project was mired in some controversies also as a section of the people, whose shops and houses were razed to clear the way for the Temple, voiced their opposition to the same. Hundreds of smaller, ancient temples were also razed for the project.

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(Published 04 December 2021, 10:48 IST)

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