As we wind up the first near-normal year since the Covid-19 pandemic indiscriminately put us in long periods of confinement, all roads in the country appear to be heading towards Ayodhya as the ancient city is sprucing up for the mega event later in the month when, according to the rightwing narrative, Ayodhya will be returned to Lord Ram after several centuries.
If one has to get a measure of the sprucing up that is taking place, here’s a little statistic: Over the weekend alone, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated, dedicated to the nation and laid the foundation stone of multiple development projects worth more than Rs 15,700 crore at one of the holiest cities for Hindus. These include projects worth about Rs 11,100 crore for development of Ayodhya and its surrounding areas and projects worth about Rs 4600 crore related to other projects across Uttar Pradesh. Earlier PM Modi inaugurated the redeveloped Ayodhya Railway Station and flagged off new Amrit Bharat trains and Vande Bharat trains. He also dedicated several other railway projects to the nation. Later, he also inaugurated the newly built Ayodhya Airport named Maharishi Valmiki International Airport.
The saffron party, which hardly had any political presence anywhere in the country until the 1980s, rode to the top spot in Indian politics on the popularity of the Ram Rath Yatra organized by BJP veteran LK Advani, who was then the party president, in the year 1990.
In a way, the BJP cannot have a more symbolic and fitting finish to its first 10-year-run at the Parliament. The saffron party, which hardly had any political presence anywhere in the country until the 1980s, rode to the top spot in Indian politics on the popularity of the Ram Rath Yatra organized by BJP veteran LK Advani, who was then the party president, in the year 1990.
Thirty-four years and three full terms later, the BJP’s most popular leader by any measure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inaugurating the Ram temple, land for which was handed over following a long legal tussle in 2019. The BJP claims that with the construction of the Ram temple, it has knocked off the most important item in its list of election promises which include abrogation of Article 370, passing the legislation for Women’s Reservation and so on.
Going by the social media frenzy over anything related to revival of the Hindu golden era or the rise of Hindu power, and the INDIA alliance’s cluelessness over a strategy to take on the BJP, the 2024 elections can easily be called off unless Congress and other regional parties pull off something spectacular in the next four months.
When Narendra Modi formed his first NDA government in 2014, he began his innings with the slogan ‘Sabke Saath, Sabka Vikas’ (With everyone, for everyone’s progress). When he returned to power in 2019 with a thumping majority, he added one more phrase to the slogan for his second term: ‘Sabke Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas’ (With everyone, for everyone’s progress, with everyone’s trust) as had been suggested in a newspaper editorial, a day earlier.
When he returned to power in 2019 with a thumping majority, he added one more phrase to the slogan for his second term: ‘Sabke Saath, Sabka Vika, Sabka Vishwas’ (With everyone, for everyone’s progress, with everyone’s trust) as had been suggested in a newspaper editorial, a day earlier.
Has the Modi government really delivered on the third promise in the slogan? Let’s see: On the day of the inauguration of the new Parliament building in May 2023, award-winning women wrestlers were beaten up and abused by law enforcement officials for protesting against the alleged sexual harassment they suffered from a BJP politician, who was the president of Wrestling Federation of India — the government did not rush to help them. Between 2020 and ’21, thousands of Indian farmers protested outside New Delhi braving the hash weather to repeal a few farm laws that they found were of dubious intent – the government responded only ahead of local elections in the nearby states. Governors loyal to the central government have been choking unfriendly state governments from implementing people-friendly legislations in gross violation of democratic principles, still. Opposition MPs are getting suspended from the Parliament in hordes for demanding the Home Minister to address their security concerns, which is his job. Poorest of the poor across the country, including Uttar Pradesh, continue to live like animals living merely on the free rice and ration provided by the government without any other progress including basics like electricity and healthcare. Minorities across the country continue to live in tension under the suspicious eyes of rightwing activists who are ready to pounce on them for even minor exposition of religious freedom, guaranteed by the Constitution. And, even as the frenzy to inaugurate the Ram temple is getting built up, star sportspersons and Arjuna award winners are dropping off their awards by the roadside having lost their faith in their government.
While the BJP and its alliance partners appear set for a record third term, which only PM Jawaharlal Nehru has managed in the past, the reasons behind such a run should not be due to the lack of a credible and potent Opposition in the country. The ruling party should go out of the way, if necessary, to win everyone’s trust if the PM’s vision of an Amrit Kaal is to bear fruition.