Civil code, Kashi, Mathura next?

“What would the verdict be, if Babri (masjid) had not been razed”, asked Asaduddin Owaisi , leader of the All India Majlis-eIttehadul Muslimeen.

While the Sangh Parivar and the BJP welcome the Supreme Court verdict, others argued that the Supreme Court has handed over the disputed site to the ruling BJP which continue to have “individuals and leaders responsible for the demolition of the Babri Masjid in its ranks.”

The verdict, described “unjust” by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) not merely paved the way for the construction of the Ram temple” but also legitimised the saffron slogan, which rent the air after the kar sevaks demolished the mosque — Mandir wahi banayenge.

The top court’s decision could also cast a shadow over some other mosques in the country if the BJP’s Hindutva hawk Vinay Katiyar is to be believed. Ahead of the verdict, Mr

Katiyar. also a key accused in the Babri Masjid case had announced: “We are waiting for the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya. After that, we will build Ram temple and then move towards liberating Kashi and Mathura temples.”

His remarks are a chilling reminder to the slogan referring to Gyanvapi mosque at Varanasi and Shahi Idgah Mosque at Mathura — Ayodhya abhi jhanki hai, Mathura, Kashi baaki hai.

After the verdict, when defence minister Rajnath Singh was asked about the other core issue, the Uniform Civil Code, he said: “Time has come.”

The court’s offer directing the Centre to allot an alternative 5-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a new mosque was flayed by Owaisi.

Clutching at the straws, the AIMPLB is considering going for a review petition, but the Shia Waqf Board supported the verdict and said it was against any review petition.

As the Supreme Court’s verdict yet again bolstered Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s image as “Hindu Hriday Samrat,” the original poster boy of Hindutva and the architect of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, L.K. Advani, remained in the shadows. No one in the party talked about the old warhorse today.

Later in the evening, Mr Advani issued a short statement saying “I feel vindicated and deeply blessed that the Supreme Court has given its unanimous verdict paving the way for the construction of a magnificent temple for Lord Rama...”

A VHP functionary felt that the “closure” of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute is bound to add to Modi’s legacy of steering the nation towards the grand vision of establishing a Hindu Rashtra.”

However, after taking over the reign of the nation, Prime Minister has always spoken of a united India and stressed on the mantra — Sabke saath, Sabka vikas.

He had also urged people of the country not to construe the Ayodhya verdict as a “matter of victory or loss.”

Addressing the nation hours after the verdict, Mr Modi described “November 9 as a day to forget any bitterness one may have” and observed that “there is no place for fear, bitterness and negativity in new India.”

With the top court ruling in favour of the Hindu plaintiff, the BJP government has nearly ticked all the Hindutva boxes it had in its kitty — Abrogation of Article 370 and NRC. The only major core issue remaining to be clinched is the “Uniform Civil Code.” Some ultra right-wing outfits also want the word “secular” to be removed from the Constitution.

At a time when the economic slowdown has put the government on the backfoot and resulted in its poor show in Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Supreme Court’s verdict came as a major boost for the party. Some of the BJP spin doctors felt that the verdict would offer the BJP a “fighting chance in Delhi and Jharkhand Assembly polls.”

■ WITH THE top court ruling in favour of the Hindu plaintiff, the BJP government has nearly ticked all the Hindutva boxes it had in its kitty — Abrogation of Article 370 and NRC.

■ THE ONLY major core issue remaining to be clinched is the Uniform Civil Code.