Akhilesh Targets BJP After Part Of Bismillah Khan's House Demolished, Varanasi Officials Deny Role

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.

Family Demolishes Dilapidated House

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.

Akhilesh Yadav Attacks BJP

"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.

"The BJP is harming the country by burning it in the fire of hatred. Once in government, we will build a 'Shravan Sangrahalaya' to preserve the musical legacy of Bharat Ratna Bismillah Khan. Utterly reprehensible!" Yadav said.

The Varanasi Municipal Corporation (VMC) has categorically rejected Yadav's claim.

VMC Public Relations Officer Sandeep Srivastava said, "The Varanasi Municipal Corporation has initiated a project to honour the city's eminent personalities. This includes developing the roads leading to their residences based on themes reflecting their lives and contributions, as well as converting a room within each of their homes into a museum."

"In this context, discussions were held with the family of Bharat Ratna Ustad Bismillah Khan regarding the establishment of a museum at his residence. However, the family did not give their consent to this proposal. Citing the dilapidated condition of the building, the family expressed a desire to demolish the structure themselves and undertake its redevelopment independently," Srivastava said.

Consequently, the building was demolished by the family. As the municipal corporation did not receive consent for the project, it could not develop the museum, nor did it play any role in the demolition process, he added.

SHO of Chowk police station Vijay Kumar Shukla said that the property owner is demolishing the house himself and the municipal corporation has previously issued a notice regarding its poor condition.

The family members had approached the police station due to an internal dispute concerning certain portions of the property, which has since been resolved. The owner is now carrying out the demolition of his own property, he said.