The Sunday Guardian

Time running out for BJP on temple issue

- REUTERS | RUPAK DE CHOWDHURI SANJEEV KUMAR NAYAK NEW DELHI

With the perception gaining ground that Congress succeeded in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan because it adopted a “soft Hindutva” line, there is a rethinking in the Bharatiya Janata Party that it’s time for the party to revert to its core Hindutvare­lated issues such as constructi­on of Ram temple in Ayodhya. From temple hopping to donning the sacred-thread to claiming a Brahmin lineage, Congress president Rahul Gandhi did everything possible to prove that he was trying to pay the BJP back in its own coin, i.e. Hindutva plank, this time.

Now, there is a fear in the BJP camp that tasting blood, Congress may try to hijack the plank and toe a full-fledged Hindutva line, sugar-coating it with modern, liberal sophistry in its attempt to win the general elections early next year. So the run-up to the upcoming elections may see a flash of “competitiv­e Hindutva” between the two main contenders, if not by other probable allies of Congress.

People are apparently quite disenchant­ed with the BJPled NDA government for failing to make any headway in building a grand temple in Ayodhya in its four-anda-half years of reign. The man on the street is hardly aware of the dirty games being played by the lobby backed by the Left-Congress combine to stall the case in the court of law.

They are rather viewing with suspicion the government’s dependence on the judiciary to resolve the dispute as an alibi for escaping from taking up the responsibi­lity of building the temple. They just want the government of the day to do whatever is needed, even go to any extent if required, to pave the way for the temple to come up at the site which they believe is Lord Ram’s birthplace.

In another major developmen­t, the sadhu community, which has been lending its unconditio­nal support for the cause since the last three decades, is getting restive and is up in arms now. The sadhus, who once played an effective role in inspiring people to fight for the cause which helped BJP come to power in a big way, are now a divided lot. A section of the community is so incensed with the Narendra Modi government that they have started speaking publicly against it. One of them, known as “Computer Baba”, who was a minister in the outgoing Shivraj Singh Chouhan-led BJP government in Madhya Pradesh, went to the extent of congratula­ting the people for defeating the government once he was a part of.

Judging the gravity of the situation, BJP is exploring a number of options, but not one seems to be working to its advantage. As far as enacting a law to overcome the legal hurdles is concerned, it cannot do so because it is basically a title suit where the dispute is over the ownership of the piece of land on which the temple is to come up. Now, a government is not

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