NOT JUST TEMPLE, RAM RAJYA, NOW
RSS SEEKS TO LINK TEMPLE TO DEVELOPMENT
The pretence is over: Clearly unnerved by the exit poll results, the BJP has decided to push the VHP and other fringe outfits upfront to create a groundswell of support for the Ram temple, in the run up to the general elections.
This, the party expects, will prevent the judiciary from steering of course on the sensitive matter. The PM had indicated as much recently when, during a rally, he had blamed the Congress for intimidating the judges and preventing the BJP from building the temple. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s statement too had indicated that the judiciary is now on the saffron radar.
As a follow-up in this direction – to turn the entire issue into one of defenders of the faith versus the ‘spoilsports’ – on the lines of what is being witnessed in Kerala over the Sabarimala shrine – a huge right wing rally was held in the national Capital on Sunday. The agenda of the rally was apparent from the word go: the fast-tracking of the temple at Ayodhya.
Held at Delhi's Ramlila grounds, the groups in attendance included the VHP and the BJP's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Speaking for the RSS at the rally was its second-incommand. That the rally was held as the nation braces for the Winter Session of Parliament -- the last full-fledged session before the Lok Sabha polls are announced – is embedded with possibilities of what lies ahead.
On the face of it, the Right wants the government to pass an Ordinance or an executive order on the Ram Temple, thus bypassing both the judiciary and overcoming the Rajya Sabha hump in Parliament. But in essence it wishes to keep the issue simmering till the elections, so that it subsumes other ‘less important’ matters like development, agrarian distress and unemployment.
In keeping with this strategy, without naming the ruling BJP, senior RSS functionary Suresh 'Bhaiyyaji' Joshi had a piece of advice for the party and the government. "Those in power had promised to construct a Ram Temple. They should listen to people and fulfil this demand. They are aware of the people’s sentiments."
In a mild rebuke, Joshi added, "We are not begging for it. We are expressing our feelings. The country wants a 'Ram Rajya'." The reference to Ram Rajya was not incidental. Sources said it was part of a well-thought out strategy to link the temple to the pace of development.
So, we were told at the rally: A country that develops distrust for the judicial system cannot walk on the path of development. The Supreme Court should also examine this factor and take public sentiment into account, Joshi said.
The convergence of the development and the religious agenda, so that they coalesce into an electoral victory is a new corollary of the festering problem. But politically it provides the BJP with a convenient alibi, if it performs poorly in the Assembly elections. So, the bottom line is: If you want development (read Ram Rajya), then clear the decks for the temple. "We are not engaged in a conflict with any community. We are not begging but articulating our feelings. Enacting a law is the only option. The movement will continue till the promise is fulfilled," Joshi said.
Swami Hansdevacharya of Haridwar went a step further, raising the decibel level by "warning" Prime Minister Narendra Modi and saying, "We will not let him get of his seat until the temple is built. He must fulfil his promise."
The title suit of the Ayodhya land dispute case is pending before the Supreme Court. In January, the court is expected to announce a date for the beginning of the hearing.
VHP president Vishnu Sadashiv Kokje let the cat out of the bag when he said: Public sentiment should be respected as "in a democracy, the public should be supreme not the court".