In the article titled “Groundwater, Gurus, and Governmentality: Seva in the Neo-liberal Development Regime in India” (EPW, 10 August 2019), the author Srirupa Bhattacharya has illustrated upon the network emerging between the religious organisations, state actors, international funding orga nis ations and multinational corporations while planning and executing water conservation activities in the post- liberalisation era. Citing an example of the Art of Living (AOL) and their Kumu dvathi river rejuvenation project, the author has argued that while such colla borative efforts rope in a range of actors, the local actors, however, are either completely excluded or involved at much later stages of the project. In this article, I am taking this argument a step ahead to explore whether such nexus formulated by the religious organisations across bureaucracy, policymakers, capitalists, media houses, and experts can lead to better implementation and outcome of development projects (here, river rejuvenation) or not. In this context, this article examines the Manjra river rejuvenation project initiated and led by the AoL and RSS Jankalyan Samiti (RSS–JS) for Latur city in Mahara shtra in the summer of 2016. In her article, Bhattacharya (2019: 57) has, also, made passing reference to this project. This article analyses the process of implementation of the Manjra river rejuvenation project, explores the knowledge claims of the AoL and RSS–JS pertaining to water conservation by examining the validity of the approach of river rejuvenation with reference to the hydrology of the Manjra basin, and finally assessing the actual benefi ts in contrast to the promises made by religious organisations to gain public participation. Despite being lauded as a successful project and even after witnessing a good rainfall—21% excess of the normal rainfall in Marathwada (IMD 2016)—Latur was receiving water only once a week in 2017. The analysis reveals that the project was conceived and planned with a poor understanding of the river basin, the water needs of Latur city, and the existing water supply infrastru c ture. The assessment of the project implementation discloses the violation of multiple rules of regulations. Bhattacharya (2019: 55) observed that the gurus receive “unprecedented structural cooperation” and “universal acceptability” from all, including the state actors. This article argues that the relationship between religious organisation and state goes beyond “acceptability” and, at some point, the state actors are co-opted by the religious organisation, blurring the boundaries between the religious organisation and the state. The state actors are not only silent observers of the activities of religious organisation, often violating the rules and regulations, but under their infl uence can often actively engage and perform those activities, violating its own rules.