A controversy erupted over the demolition of a portion of the house of shehnai maestro Bismillah Khan after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav raised the matter on Saturday even as the municipality denied any role in the demolition.
Yadav slammed the “BJP and its narrow-minded allies” over the demolition in a social media post, calling them “orthodox conservatives with a narrow mindset”, and said that destroying the shared legacy of a Bharat Ratna awardee is tantamount to destroying the honour of the country.
However, officials of the Varanasi Municipal Corporation said the family members of late Bismillah Khan carried out the demolition of their own accord after refusing their offer of a museum at the place.
Officials said while the municipal corporation had sent a notice regarding its dilapidated condition, there was an internal family dispute over the proposed demolition. Once the dispute was resolved, the family demolished portions of the house to redevelop it independently, they said.
SP president Yadav slammed the BJP government for the demolition in a post on X and shared a purported video of the demolished structure.
“What more can you expect from those for whom shehnai was not played? The BJP and their narrow-minded allies are always against ‘art and artistes’ because these orthodox conservatives have a narrow mindset. Creative people lay the groundwork and create the conditions for a social change,” he wrote.
Yadav said positive art fosters kindness and tolerance, which is why “they see every form of art as an obstacle to their agenda, or else want to use art for their own agenda and turn it negative.” “Destroying the shared legacy of someone who has been awarded the Bharat Ratna is tantamount to destroying not only their dignity and honour, but also the honour of Bharat,” he said.
