Ayodhya (Uttar Pradesh): The grand consecration ceremony of the Ram temple here a day ago was clearly a Narendra Modi show all the way.
Barring one or two of them, prominent Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders who spearheaded the temple movement over the years remained conspicuous by their absence at the four-hour glittering event that was the high point of this historic day in the ancient temple town that now stands transformed into a city reverberating with chants of “Jai Shree Ram”.
Modi literally stole the show right from the time of his landing in Ayodhya, where, apart from 800-odd VVIP guests, lakhs of devotees had converged to get a glimpse of the new temple at the long-debated birthplace of the Hindu deity Ram. The site was given to the temple side following a verdict by India’s Supreme Court.
The ‘pran pratishtha’ or consecration of the new idol of a five-year-old Ram was also performed by Modi – as was clearly seen – along with Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat. Following certain controversies that arose over Modi’s religious incapacities to carry out such a ‘high profile’ ritual, the temple trust had sought to give the impression that a total of 15 ‘jajmans’ or persons authorised to perform the puja had been handpicked for the rituals. However, what was apparent was that those 15 jajmans were sidelined while Modi who was stated to be there only as a symbolic jajman actually carried out the prime share of rituals with Bhagwat in tow.
In a significant deviation from the past, Modi – who is the prime minister – made it a point to acknowledge the role of the judiciary in paving the path for the construction of the temple.
However, he did not talk about the defining role of BJP stalwarts like former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, or former BJP chief Murli Manohar Joshi, or frontline activists like Vinay Katiyar, Mahant Dharam Das and others who are believed to have been kept away from the ceremony.
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While the Ram Janmbhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, entrusted with the task of issuing invitations, did extend a formal invite to both Advani and Joshi, both were stated to have been advised by those very trust officials to avoid travelling in view of their old age and accompanying physical infirmities. What prevented the prime minister to make necessary arrangements for their travel is a mystery.
However, the fact remains that Advani’s role in the temple movement is unparalleled. It was his ‘Somnath to Ayodhya’ Rath Yatra in 1990 that gave a huge boost to the temple movement, particularly after the yatra was stopped by then Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, who also put Advani behind bars. Advani is also credited with saving Modi’s scalp, when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee appeared likely to sack Modi as Gujarat chief minister on account of the infamous communal riots there.
Top Bajrang Dal leader and former BJP MP Vinay Katiyar, who was also among the key accused in the Babri Masjid demolition case, and had played a very aggressive role in the temple movement, was known to be present in Ayodhya. Yet, he did not attend the ceremony simply because he did not get a formal invite. And the same was the case with Mahant Dharam Das, the chief priest of Ayodhya’s oldest temple, Hanuman Garhi, who also stood at the forefront of the temple campaign.
In his hour-long address, the prime minister sought to point out how the ‘pran pratishtha’ of the Ram temple marked the beginning of a new era. Terming the event a ‘defining moment,’ he urged people not to take it as a moment of just victory but also one of vinay (prayer or humility). He also expressed the need for people to imbibe the rich ideals of Ram, who believed in compassion, justice and peace.
“This day marks the change of an era and today’s generations should feel blessed to be witness it today; we should feel privileged and understand that we must now lay the foundations for a thousand years ahead,” said Modi, amidst cheers.
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Modi made it a point to tell everyone that he was at the Ram Setu a day earlier. He also recalled how Ram, too, had begun his return journey from Lanka to Ayodhya from that very spot, after defeating Ravan. He also added that he was here not without observing an 11-day fast, during which he offered prayers at select temples in the southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. He made it a point to break that fast in full view of the cameras by accepting water from Govind Dev Giri, treasurer of the temple trust.
Interestingly, the show after the consecration ceremony began with an address by Govind Dev Giri , who only sang paeans for Modi, before handing over the mic to Bhagwat, who also stressed the need for social harmony and compassion, which he reminded, were among the “key ideals of Ram.”
Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath who emphasised on how the ‘pran pratishtha’ marked the virtual revival of the ‘Treta Yug’ (the era of Ram). Significantly, Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite hymn, ‘Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram’ could be heard playing in the background all through the event.
