Conspiracies being hatched to derail Kashi’s development: CM Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that, “Conspiracies are being hatched and misinformation is being spread to disrupt the comprehensive development plan that has been implemented over the past 11 years. I had to come to Kashi today so that the true facts could be presented to the public.”

The comments came during a press conference in Kashi on Saturday after a viral video showing the demolition of idols at Manikarnika Ghat in the religious city of Kashi.

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Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath arrived in Kashi on Saturday. He offered prayers at the Kal Bhairav Temple and the Vishwanath Temple.

Addressing the press conference, CM further said, “Kashi is eternal. Every follower of Sanatan Dharma and every Indian has immense reverence for Kashi. The respect that Kashi should have received in independent India, and the pace at which it should have developed, was not achieved in the past.”

The Chief Minister stated that over the past 11 years, Kashi has been preserving and promoting its spiritual and cultural heritage.

“At the same time, it is reaching new heights through physical development. Kashi has received a new global identity. Kashi is represented in the country’s Parliament by the illustrious Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

“While preserving Kashi’s ancient character, it is being presented to the country and the world in a new form. Accordingly, projects worth more than Rs 55,000 crore have been sanctioned for Kashi. Of these, projects worth Rs 36,000 crore have been inaugurated, and work on the remaining projects is in progress,” the CM said.

He said that before 2014, 5,000 to 25,000 devotees visited the Kashi Vishwanath Temple daily. Today, this number has increased to 1.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh per day. During peak season, this number reaches 6 lakh to 10 lakh.