Dayakar Singh’s right thumb and forefinger were busy crushing and kneading a pinch of tobacco on his left palm. Once done to his satisfaction, he placed the substance between his lower lip and gum with practised ease.
“This will be the grandest Ram Navami celebration,” he said in front of a statue of Uttar Pradesh’s former chief minister Kalyan Singh. “Our temple has finally come up,” he added, referring to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.
The air reverberated with melodious strains of ‘Ram Ji Ki Nikli Sawari’, courtesy of the ‘Shyam Sundar KP Deepak Band’.
In an instant, Singh melted into the bustling crowd, drawn by the allure of the Ram Navami celebration in front of Lodh Bhawan at Dhoolpet in Hyderabad on Wednesday, April 18.
Throughout Hyderabad, people visited temples from early morning, some even setting up makeshift prayer pandals. In Dhoolpet, there was an electrifying buzz, not merely in honor of Rama’s birth anniversary, but also reflecting the communal camaraderie.
Rakesh (not his real name), a second-year intermediate student, has travelled from Borabanda to join the festivities in Dhoolpet.
“I’ve been coming here to celebrate for the past three years. It’s a vibrant gathering, filled with dance and joy,” Rakesh told South First, his eyes sparkling with anticipation of what they were to see soon.
Bhaiyya arrives
The band, which began playing at 10 am, finally set the procession in motion by 1:30 pm. A blaring electronic DJ truck led the way. As more people joined in, a lively circle formed around the truck, the air resonating with the beat of drums that drowned the swish of orange flags.
After an hour of jubilant revelry, the DJ made an announcement. “Bhaiyya aa rahe and hum yaha se niklenege” (Big brother is coming, and we will depart from here).
The noisy crowd fell silent at the mention of ‘Bhaiyya’. They heeded to the call to gather for the next leg of the celebration.
On Tuesday, the Hyderabad Police had declined Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA T. Raja Singh permission to organise the Ram Navami Shobha Yatra in the city. However, another organisation received police clearance for the procession along the same old city route.
Despite his application being rejected by the police, Singh encouraged people to participate in the Ram Navami celebrations. His call came even as the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was in force.
Singh, the Goshamahal MLA, arrived at 3:15 pm. Loudspeakers blared out songs. Many of them targeted the Muslim community and advocated the establishment of a Hindu Rashtra.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Vikram Singh Mann, who had earlier denied permission for the procession, was seen making the way for Singh’s vehicle to pass through the crowd.
The religious rally
As the rally progressed at a sluggish pace through the three-kilometre stretch, songs penned and sung by Singh reverberated the streets of Dhoolpet, Mangalhat, Begum Bazaar, and Siddiamber Bazar.
At the first halt near Begum Bazaar Chhatri, Singh took the stage. “Our long-awaited dream of a temple in Ayodhya has been realised. However, our aspirations for temples in Kashi (Varanasi) and Mathura remain unfulfilled,” he said.
“We are committed to constructing temples not only in Kashi and Mathura but also in 40,000 locations where mosques currently stand,” he proclaimed.
Singh went on to announce that by 2026, India would be officially declared a Hindu Rashtra. “Our vision of a Hindu Rashtra will materialise within two years,” he asserted.
As the procession reached near a mosque at Siddiamber Bazar, Singh continued his rhetoric. He directed his criticism towards All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
“Merely the sight of the Ayodhya temple has unsettled you. However, the pending temples in Kashi and Mathura, along with 40,000 Hindu temples, will soon be realised. We will instill the spirit of Kar Seva in our future generations,” he thundered as many teenagers, yet to start shaving their facial hair, roared in agreement with roving eyes.
“The chief minister of Uttar Pradesh has assured that this time, instead of bullets, flower petals will be showered during Kar Seva. The days are not away — just as we have reclaimed Ayodhya, we will reclaim Kashi and Mathura,” he said.
Singh also said that providing education to Muslims was not advisable. “Even after receiving education, they are becoming Jihadis,” he remarked.
Attacking Muslim community, he abuses @asadowaisi and said that even after giving the education, they become a jihadi. pic.twitter.com/KLf5atWZPr
— Sumit Jha (@sumitjha__) April 17, 2024
While he made these statements, police personnel recorded videos of his speech.
“We recorded the speeches and are in the process of verifying the comments made by him. If we find any objectionable content, appropriate action will be taken. Currently, we are reviewing the videos,” DCP South West Zone D Uday Kumar Reddy told South First.
‘Pure Hindu girls’
“We used to have smaller rallies during the Ram Navami celebrations. When Raja Singh became the TDP corporator, he organised larger rallies. Previously, the rallies would wind through narrow lanes, but now they extend for 5-6 kilometres,” Anil Kumar, a shopkeeper, said.
“Initially, only locals participated in the yatra (rally). But now people from across the city and even other parts of the state join it. In place of earlier thousands of participants, lakhs now attend the celebrations,” he told South First.
As the rally commenced, the streets became so crowded that there was hardly any space to move. People danced enthusiastically to the Singh’s tunes will communal overtones.
“This is the largest Ram Navami rally. You won’t find anything like this elsewhere. Raja Singh sings these songs himself, and they directly resonate with us. That’s why I come here to enjoy it,” Rakesh stated.
Men filled the streets, while women stood on balconies and terraces, clapping and smiling as they watched the festivities unfold.
Amidst the dancing, many men took out their phones to capture the moment, frequently shooting furtive glances at the balconies and terraces.
“You won’t find women and girls like these anywhere else. They are pure Hindus and fair-skinned. It’s one of the reasons we come here,” Rakesh let out a secret.
The political rally
Madhavi Latha, BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate in Hyderabad, moved in an open jeep ahead of Singh’s caravan. Though the Election Commission of India has prohibited politicians from soliciting votes in the name of religion, it did not restrict their participation in such rallies.
The crowd was predominantly homogenous, BJP-leaning and celebrating Ram Navami.
Initially, Latha refrained from making overt political statements when asked to speak at the first stop. Instead, she subtly remarked, “This year, Ram Rajya will come,” hinting at the BJP and Narendra Modi government.
However, at Begum Bazaar Chhatri, Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) leader Laddu Yadav introduced her as the BJP MP candidate. He urged people to vote for her.
Yadav continued to make comments against AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and handed over the microphone to her, ignoring her reluctance to speak.
Latha chose to sing a religious song and reiterated the sentiments expressed at the first stop. Yadav persisted, leading her to mention Modi and Patang (kite, the AIMIM symbol).
“I have been entrusted with a task by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I am here to fulfill his mission, and it’s true that he has sent me here to cut someone’s patang (kite),” she declared, blending political rhetoric with symbolism.
While Madhavi Latha tried to avoid making any political comments, @LadduYadavBJP openly referred to Asaduddin Owaisi as a ‘dog’ on stage, even in her presence. Additionally, at the end, he made a small political pitch by stating ‘patang (the AIMIM symbol) katega’.@anusharavi10 pic.twitter.com/BXXPF11UUD
— Sumit Jha (@sumitjha__) April 17, 2024
This article was originally published on South First.
