By K Raveendran
Every BJP manifesto since 1996, with the sole exception of 1991, had promised the construction of a grand Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. So it would be rather naïve to expect the party not to make political capital out of the January 22 Pran Pratishta at the brand new Ram Mandir of grandeur, particularly in view of the crucial parliamentary elections only months away. There is nothing anyone can do about it and this very well explains the dilemma faced by opposition parties.
The first reference to a ‘magnificent Shri Ram Mandir at Janmasthan in Ayodhya’ was made in the party’s manifesto in 1996, which promised to facilitate the construction of the temple as a tribute to ‘Bharat Mata’. ‘This dream moves millions of people in our land; the concept of Rama lies at the core of their consciousness, the manifesto said.
In 1998, the party repeated the promise, declaring that the party will explore all consensual, legal and constitutional means to facilitate the construction of temple, and noting that Shri Ram lies at the core of Indian consciousness. For some strange reason, however, the NDA manifesto released in 1999 made no reference to the Ayodhya issue.
The 2004 manifesto reaffirmed the party’s commitment to the construction of the temple and emphasised how Ram is an inspiring cultural symbol of India and that Ayodhya is associated with the religious sentiments of crores of Hindus.
In 2009, BJP likewise promised to explore all possibilities, including negotiations and judicial proceedings, to facilitate the construction of the temple and asserted there was an overwhelming desire on the part of the people in India and abroad to have a grand temple at the birth place of Sri Ram in Ayodhya. The 2014 and 2019 manifestoes also said the same things, but by that time there were already indications that the Ram Mandir issue was acquiring unprecedented urgency in the political and social spheres.
Like the BJP, every political party in India is conscious of the fact that Ram is deeply ingrained in the Indian psyche and culture and has tried to make use of it to create political capital. The late P V Narasimha Rao as prime minister is known to have favoured the construction of a Ram Temple after the controversial demolition of the Babri Masjid at Ayodhya. Rao had initiated the formation of a panel of seers, a so-called Ramalayam Trust to undertake the construction of the temple.
He had envisaged the Trust to include the Sankaracharyas of Puri, Sringeri, Kanchi, Dwaraka and Badrinath, jeeyars of Tamil Nadu and Andhra following the Ramanujacharya sect, Sri Vaishnava seers of North, Udupi and Uttardimath seers of Dwaita sect, guruji s of Vallabhacharya, Goudiya and Sri Chaitanya tradition and also mahants of Hanuman Gadi and Lakshman Gadi of Ayodhya. But the plan met with an untimely end as Rao failed to come back to power after the elections.
It is also pertinent to note that the Shilanyas of the Ram Temple, though performed by RSS and BJP elements, occurred when Rajiv Gandhi was the prime minister. Earlier, the government of Rajiv Gandhi’s had decided to open the locks of the Babri Masjid in 1985, a decision that led to a huge controversy about the role and intentions of the Congress party.
Obviously, the BJP is well aware of the fact that Ram in deeply ingrained in the Indian culture and therefore does not want to let go of the unique opportunity provided by the consecration event. The way Prime Minister Narendra Modi has gone about the event makes a distinction between its religious and political aspects extremely difficult. The complexity of the situation has left opposition parties with no easy choices. They cannot disown Ram Mandir as it is much more than a religious issue, and at the same do not want to be seen associating with the consecration, which would mean presenting the BJP all the glory and political capital on a platter.
This explains the real dilemma faced by the major opposition parties, including Congress. Every leader is, therefore, asserting that Ram belongs to everyone and the BJP holds no patent or ownership. So, they are devising ways to express their commitment to the Ram Mandir as well as Lord Ram by either visiting other temples on the occasion or announcing plans to visit the new temple after the event actually takes place. (IPA Service)
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