As massive propaganda and mobilisation for Ram Temple inauguration on January 22 is on and there is a need to introspect on India’s democratic and secular ethos. Soon after we got independence there was a demand from some quarters that the Somnath Temple, plundered by Mahmood Ghazni in the 11th century, be restored by the government. Nehru wrote that “he and Patel also approached Mahatma Gandhi for the reconstruction of the temple, but Gandhi was of the view that the government itself should not make any contribution in the form of money for the same.” On similar lines Nehru advised Rajendra Prasad not to inaugurate the temple in his official capacity as the President of India. On his part, Nehru went on to build ‘Temples of Modern India’: dams, public sector industries, health infrastructure, educational and research institutions.
Apart from ‘one person one vote’, social movements of workers, peasants and other sections of society boosted democratic values. Barring the interlude of the Emergency, the country moved in the direction of gradually strengthening democratic norms till the temple movement undermined the very ‘idea of India’ which had emerged with the freedom movement.
The well planned demolition of the Babri Mosque on December 6, 1992 paved the way for the grand Ram temple which is coming up now. The Bharatiya Janata Party has not only focused on emotive issues but has also been restricting the democratic spaces of the country. Overall, as emotive issues rule the roost, aspirations for better living conditions are bypassed by the government. We are living in dismal times where rising prices and worsening indices of livelihood are breaking the back of average people.
Where is the hope for a better future? Some glimpses of our latent democratic strengths have been seen in the past few years. As the three oppressive farm laws were introduced, farmers in large numbers marched to Delhi and stayed put for months, sacrificing nearly 600 of their colleagues in the struggle. Their victory prove that democratic movements can still shape the future of the society. Then we saw the shrewd move of the Modi government in the form of the CAA, NRC to disenfranchise a large section of Muslim population. Against this we saw the remarkable Shaheen Bagh movement.
Shaheen Bagh on March 10. Photo: Twitter/@UmarKhalidJNU
The summation of the anguish of people came up in the form of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ (Unite India March) a year ago. It gave the message of unity of the country, cutting across different religions and ethnicities. It transformed the social atmosphere of despondency into one of hope and drew the attention of the nation towards the real issues of the society, the issues related to hunger, shelter and employment among others. The response of people was as if they had been waiting for such an event to happen so that they can express their pain and deprivations in a democratic way. The hope for the inclusive society with earthly needs got rekindled and a new ground for national dialogue emerged.
This did make its mark but the communal forces have created a very efficient machinery for spreading their divisive propaganda on issues which have nothing to do with the real problems of the people. So the Ram Temple inauguration is being projected as an event on par with India’s independence day. All wings of the RSS combine are putting their energies into mobilising the people to take part in programs around the Ram Temple inauguration. Buses and extra trains are in the offing to help divert the country’s attention to Ram’s temple.
While one is waiting for January 22 – when Prime Minister Modi will officiate at the ceremony in Ayodhya – another event is already underway. This is the ‘Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra’, from Manipur to Mumbai, which will run from January 14 to March 20. This hybrid (foot and bus) yatra began from Manipur, the state neglected by the Union Government despite suffering from ethnic violence for over seven months. The response to the yatra from the people of Manipur has been overwhelming.
This yatra is going to focus on nyay (justice) as we see injustice all around. The Yatra’s focus is on unemployment, farmer’s issues, rising poverty, the dignity of women and the rights of Adivasis. This is probably the best possible way to highlight the issues of people in a democratic way.
While most of the media is enthralled by the Ram temple issue, the need is to spread the message of this yatra far and wide.
The Ram temple issue is the agenda of RSS-BJP and is strengthening authoritarian politics; the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is articulating values related to Constitutional morality. It should not be seen as a program of any particular party. It is the summation of the expressions of the needs and rights of diverse sections of society. It is an attempt to retrieve and expand democratic space from the jaws of communal polarisation.
Ram Puniyani is president, Centre of Study of Society and Secularism and has written several books including Communal Politics: Facts Versus Myths, Deconstructing Terrorist Violence, Indian Nationalism versus Hindu Nationalism and Caste and Communalism.
This piece was first published on The India Cable – a premium newsletter from The Wire & Galileo Ideas – and has been updated and republished here. To subscribe to The India Cable, click here.
