ram mandir vis-a -vis indian politics

What is Ayodhya dispute?

Ram Mandir issue has its roots embedded deep into the historical, socio-cultural and religious bases of Indian society. Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, was born in Ayodhya one of the sacred places mentioned in ancient Hindu literature including sacred book 'Ramayana' attributed to Maharishi Valmiki and also in the famous 'Ram Charit Manas' by Goswami Tulsi Das. Most of the Hindus believe that Rama's birthplace is where the Babri Masjid once stood in Ayodhya and it was built by destroying the original temple of lord Rama by Mir Baqi, a commander of the Mughal emperor Babar. While, a group of people oppose this view and claim that there is no evidence for the spot being the birthplace of Rama. This debate over the history and location of the Babri Masjid, and whether the temple was demolished or modified to create masjid, is known as the Ayodhya dispute.

Ayodhya Dispute and the Court verdict

• In 1949, first civil suit was filed for the dispute.

• In 1986, by the order of the district court, the gates were opened (after 37 years) and devotees were allowed to worship inside the disputed structure.

• In 1992, after the demolition of Babri masjid a Liberhan Commission was set up under justice Liberhan.

• In 2003, the court ordered a survey to find out whether a temple to Lord Ram existed on the site and Archaeological Survey of India found evidences of a large Hindu complex on the disputed site.

• In 2010, The Allahabad High Court gave verdict on the Ayodhya dispute that disputed land to be divided into three parts. ⅓ goes to Ram Lalla represented by Hindu Maha Sabha,to Sunni Wakf Board, ⅓ goes to Nirmohi Akhara.

• In 2011, Supreme Court of India gave a stay on the orders of the Allahabad High Court and said to maintain the status quo.

• On February 8, 2018, the Supreme Court said that the politically sensitive case was purely a “land dispute” and will be dealt with in normal course.

• Final decision of the Court is pending.

The Politics on Ayodhya dispute:

A number of clashes occurred among Hindus and Muslims groups regarding the disputed area in the history, but the involvement of political parties increased when in 1990, the then BJP president Lal Krishna Advani took out a cross-country rathyatra to garner support for the move to build a Ram temple at the site. In 1991, Congress party formed government in Centre and BJP’s government was formed in Uttar Pradesh. The then chief minister of UP, Mr. Kalyan Singh, supported karyasevaks and in 1992 the babri masjid was demolished. Since then BJP was labeled as the pro-hindu party and was also held responsible of doing ‘Bhagwakaran of Rajneeti’ by the Congress party. 

Ram Mandir issue and the Contemporary scenario

In the contemporary scenario, Ram Mandir issue has become an important issue in the upcoming elections as there was high expectations from BJP in its tenure (as ruling party, with full majority) to take some strong decisions in favour of building up Ram Mandir.

In this context let’s discuss some of the PROS and CONS of making the temple in the disputed area.

PROS of making the temple at the site:

1. The entire Hindu Community will be overwhelmed with the move of the Government of India, and the ruling party will get the benefit.

2. Lord Rama’s bhakts’ will get the freedom to worship their lord with full devotion, purity and love.

3. It will be a sacred center for the country.

4. It will help in inculcating values in generations to come and will be a source of inspiration for all to follow the idealistic path shown by Lord Rama.

5. It will develop as the great centre of tourism and a lot of revenue will be generated.

And, a lot more points are there in favour of the making the temple at the main site.

Cons of making the temple at the site:

1. Muslim vote bank may be annoyed.

2. It may generate the demand of making huge temples or opening all the gates of the temples of Krishna Janmbhumi, in Mathura and Kashi Vishwa Nath, in Varanasi.

3. Or, it may generate the demand of demolishing the mosque in Mathura and Varanasi, which may lead more disputes and controversies.

Hence, it can be concluded that if the temple is built, our Indian culture and values will  be highlighted on the global platform and the justice will be provided to Lord Rama on his own land. But due to pitty political goals all the parties are making it a major issue to play with the emotional and religious sentiments of the masses.