Predictably, the Sangh, now busy at the temple site in Ayodhya, has begun lambasting the Indian National Congress for its refusal to attend the so-called consecration ceremony.
The grave irony that attends this political configuration is that the grand old party has made precisely the same critique of the forthcoming ceremony as has been made by the venerated Shankaracharya of Puri and the other three shankaracharyas.
The highly regarded seer has remarked that any consecration ceremony must follow due theological processes/ rituals, as laid out, for example, in the Skand Purana.
Failing such due observances authorised and executed by enshrined religious heads, the seer has cautioned that the idol is likely to be taken over by undesirable forces.
He has, mocking Modi’s gestures that habitually accompany his victory public addresses, asked whether he (the seer) is expected to sit and clap while Modi fronts the consecration.
The seer has underscored the unflattering point that the event is merely a public relations show aimed at lifting the electoral prospects of the ruling party
So, the question must be asked: who is more proximate to Sanata Dharma – the seer of Puri or the executive head of the constitutional republic?
And, if the Congress is to be held in the wrong for not attending the ceremony scheduled for January 22, why not also the Shakaracharya of Puri, who has also declined to be present?
Alternately, why is the Sangh fighting shy of engaging the Shankaracharya in a Shastrartha – or scholarly debate – in the hallowed traditions of the Sanatan, so that lay Hindus might better understand the intricacies of the issue at hand?
For now, it does seem that the Congress party is closer to the Sanatan position than those who are so relentlessly propagating the Sanatan character of the event to come.
And, would it not be apposite for media houses to foreground the historic nature of the schism here between the Shankaracharya and the forces of political Hinduism?
And, which side may the nationalist corporates be on who now elbow the said media channels in establishment directions?
Meanwhile, it does seem to be the case that the grand old party has little reason to cower, given that its reservations have been so openly and authoritatively endorsed by the highest religious supremo among the Sanatan hierarchy.
It remains to be seen whether the messaging wherewithal of the Indian National Congress has the resources to match the onslaught of the official armoury.
And, thereby hangs an unlovely tale.
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.
