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| Brouhaha and exploitation on Ram temple | | | Mahadeep Singh Jamwal
The inevitable brouhaha of BJP
ever proceeded on Ram temple, but this time it took an angry overtone, before it could properly take off, that no one in the BJP think tank would have predicted. People who exploit others come to spend an enormous amount of energy wondering about and justifying that exploitation and it applies in respect of BJP at the fullest. We have to be cautious as this drama of exploitation on Ram temple is again at our door step owing to the reason, 2019 about to knock us, as the election year, crucial for BJP that has been harping by accusing others and projecting itself as only savior of the country and believing Lord Rama will again come to its rescue. Ram temple argument is correlated with the passion of the people to the belief that seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu was born in Ayodhya at a place that has fallen a controversy of a mosque demolished in 1992, built by Mir Baqi (A Mughal General) in 16th century by demolishing a temple existing at the birth place of this seventh incarnation 'Lord Rama'. The relationship between religion and politics extend to be a far-reaching motif in political philosophy adhered by BJP. But religious beliefs and practices also potentially support politics in many ways. The extent and form of this support is as important to political philosophers as is the possibility for conflict. Religions often make strong claims on people's allegiance and India with majority and deciding number of voters from Hindu community, was properly conceived by predominant form of Hindu nationalism in India, championed by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP). The BJP (political face of RSS) has since been doing politics with religious exploitations at the centre of it. The party has always worked to force its divisive thought and mislead people in the name of Ram temple. With elections the Lok Sabha approaching, the earsplitting of the Hindutva brigade's brouhaha for a Ram temple in Ayodhya at the disputed site is all too glaring. A new found aggressiveness is to the fore unmistakably, a typical reminder that elections are round the corner where emotive issues would be exploited to the fullest extent. The BJP is once again playing the Ram temple card to exploit the sentiments of people in its favor for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. It is a political gimmick as the BJP has been dubbed as a failure to its commitments of 2014 election agenda and again heading to rely on an issue that is contentious. Ram temple is a subject intimate to crores of Hindus. Narendra Modi has been holding a monthly radio programme, 'Mann Ki Baat', to reach out to people on various issues but we never heard even a single word on this issue for the last four and half year, the only one line in the episode of 'Man ki Baat' of 25 November 2018, was too confined only criticizing Congress for pressurizing the Apex Court to postpone it. Amid growing demand for Ram temple, Mr PM while addressing an election campaign rally in Alwar, instead of giving account of his government's efforts for construction of Ram temple (Agenda in manifesto) over jumped to criticize Congress by stating that it is creating an atmosphere of fear for the judiciary and had asked the Supreme Court to delay the hearing of the case because of 2019 polls and accused Congress leaders of threatening to impeach judges. This way, he has placed the independency and fair trial system of apex court under question mark and adjournment of hearing because of the apex court succumbing to the threats of impeachment. The illiterate voters of the country can be convinced by PM's statement but aware society cannot be trapped on this assertion. We come across the statement of Mr. Mukut Bihari Verma, in September 2018, a minister in BJP government in UP, well available on search engines, that Ram temple would be constructed in Ayodhya, because "The Supreme Court is ours, the judiciary, this country and the temple are ours too". Nothing more than that what a surprise, when so called 'Dharam Sabha' was in motion in Ayodhya as well as in Kashi in a cautioning posture for early construction of Ram temple, voices were echoing that 'Ram Bhakat' will go ahead like that of 1992 riding over the court and constitution. The developments seen after postpone of the case to January 2019, are enough to safely conclude that the main agenda 'Ram Temple' of BJP to capture musical chairs even in 2019, is going to backfire the BJP itself. Till yester day, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has been saying the RSS would wait for the court's judgment in the case but now his narrative in public domain has called for a legislative route to fulfilling the RSS demand for a Ram temple in Ayodhya that government should pass a law to authorize the building of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya rather than "test the patience of the society" (Ram Bhakat). It stands reacted upon by AIMIM chief as: do it. Who is stopping RSS and their government (from making a law for construction of Ram temple)? It is a clear example when a nation is converted into totalitarianism. RSS and BJP believe in totalitarianism. They don't believe in pluralism or rule of law. Coalition partner of BJP, Shiv Sena accused the BJP of dragging its feet on temple construction and warned that unless the temple is built, the BJP would find itself out of power. Vishva Hindu Parishad held a massive gathering to mobilize support for the building of a Ram temple and demanded that the government to pass an ordinance or executive order to bypass the legal process. Chief priest of Ram Janmabhoomi Temple, Acharya Satyendra Das has given a stern warning to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that if they did not build the temple and dumped the issue, then the party will not come back to power in the next year's general elections. The VHP international vice president Champat Rai, went a step further and declared that no formula dividing the disputed land will be acceptable for temple construction. We want the entire land for temple construction; no formula dividing the land is acceptable (An indication that the dispute is not going to be resolved easily). On other side, earlier the Union Minister of Minority Affairs, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said the BJP's objective to win the 2019 elections will be only based on development, while adding that there will be no space for Hindutva and temple issues. When we refer to BJP President Amit Shah in bringing legislation for Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, he has asserted that 'let's wait until it is heard in January', the matter is in the Supreme Court and the party wanted a judicial resolution of the dispute. Although ahead of the mass gathering, the Uttar Pradesh government came forward with various announcements in order to soften the agitating attitude of 'Ram Bhakats' as that of renaming 'Faizabad' as 'Ayodhya', a medical college to be named after King 'Dasharatha', an airport named after 'Lord Ram' and the proposed Ram statue on the bank of river Sarayu, the signature tourist attraction of Ayodhya, will measuring 221 meters, even taller than the Sardar Patel statue in Gujarat. But the announcement failed to impact the gathering and one voice emerged that of construction of Ram temple by legislation over riding the apex court and constitution. We can end up with the analysis that the coming 2019 elections for BJP will definitely bring startling and irritating results as 'Ram Temple' commitment of BJP and finding space in manifesto of BJP since long that has brought the BJP on treasury benches had failed to fructify and this time the BJP will be deprived of the blessings of Lord Rama to capture the favorable results as the majority voices as well as mood of its God father organizations are not in its favor. Moreover we cannot alter the sanctity of the idiom that 'Voice of people is the voice of God'. Here the BJP must introspect as to the words of spiritual Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar that the seers do not need a temple. They have a temple wherever they sit. It is the public who want that a grand Ram temple be built. They have this hope. We should be sensitive towards their hopes" - a great message to the BJP. |
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