India, April 22 -- Tens of thousands of devotees are lining up patiently at 6 AM as we exit the spanking new car parking bay and move towards the Jagannath Temple. People who have come to Puri after a few years will struggle to recognise the place. Just as Narendra Modi has done with the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor, Naveen Patnaik has invested Rs.800 crores on the Jagannath Mandir Corridor that has dramatically transformed the area around the temple. Gone are the encroachments, the obstructions and the dirt, replaced by streamlined metal corridors for devotees to enter the temple premises for a darshan. Like in Kashi, the project faced many protests. But like Modi, Naveen Babu ignored the critics and went ahead.

Just as Modi is admired, re...