The Mandir Momentum

THE SANGH PARIVAR STEPS UP THE CLAMOUR FOR THE RAM TEMPLE IN AYODHYA AS THE TITLE SUIT COMES UP FOR HEARING

- Ajit Kumar Jha

Even as the Supreme Court prepares to hear appeals in the Ayodhya civil suit on October 29, members of the Sangh Parivar are stepping up the pressure to get the Ram temple constructed in Ayodhya before the 2019 general election.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat set the ball rolling. Within the space of a fortnight, he underlined twice the need to build the Ram temple on an urgent basis. On October 2, addressing a valedictory ceremony of the Sadhu Swadhyaya Sangam Shivir in Haridwar, he declared, “The Ram mandir will be built at any cost.” A few days later, on October 18, he reiterated the same at his annual Vijayadashami address in Nagpur, “By demolishing the temple, Babur killed our self-esteem. The Ram temple is necessary to restore our self-esteem. It must be constructed on the Ramjanmabhoomi at the earliest. We will all extend our support.”

A day later, on October 19, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath visited the disputed site and declared that Ayodhya was “his personal belief”. Meanwhile, Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad chief Pravin Togadia has been trying, if unsuccessfully, to build up momentum for the construction of the temple by trying to launch an Ayodhya yatra.

With the economy in a tailspin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s aura of invincibility showing hints of strain, this seems to be the last chance for the proponents of the Ram temple to push their agenda. And they would rather that legislation and not litigation decide the issue. “It has been proven that a temple existed underneath,” Bhagwat said in Nagpur. “Political elements are placing impediments in the judicial process and delaying it unnecessarily. Had there been no politics, the temple would have been built a long time ago. The government should now pass a law.”