Don’t vie for credit for Babri demolition

The battle to stake claim to a strident Hindutva identity plumbed new depths in Maharashtra this week as different political outfits jockeyed to take credit for a criminal act: The illegal demolition of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. The Shiv Sena has long claimed that its members were responsible for bringing down the disputed structure in Ayodhya, a fact underlined by chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray in a recent speech. Days later, former CM Devendra Fadnavis held a press conference to counter the Sena’s claim, and said that while he was “proud” to have been in Ayodhya to bring the structure down, there was no Shiv Sainik at the spot. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, in its perennial pursuit of a slice of Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy, also jumped into the fray, quoting Hindu leaders to claim that no Shiv Sainik was present when the mosque was razed by a mob.

This is an unseemly debate. Various judicial pronouncements have repeatedly called the demolition of the 16th century structure a criminal act — one for which the then government in the state was dismissed. Even the landmark 2019 verdict of the Supreme Court that paved the way for a Ram Temple in Ayodhya held that the demolition was illegal, and asked the authorities to allot an alternative plot of land to build a mosque.

For mainstream political leaders to claim “credit” for this dark episode in the country’s democratic history is not only shameful, but also an indication of the creeping majoritarianism in Indian polity. There can be no pride in condoning an illegal act and political leaders would do well to steer clear of such polarising issues and focus on questions of governance.