I write this not as a spokesperson of any party, but as a proud Bharatiya Muslim.
January 22, 2024, will not just see the pran prathistha and the installation of the idol of Ram at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, one of the holiest sites for Hindus, but more significantly, it will be the consecration of the most enduring symbol of national unity — a rashtra mandir. This marks the moment of civilisational triumph of a nation over 500 years of slavery and injustice, perpetrated by invaders and legitimised by their political and ideological apologists. It marks not just the building of a beautifully crafted physical structure, with stones, inspiration, ideas, labour, and artisans from every nook and corner of the nation, but the collective awakening and adoption of the value systems of Maryada Purushottam Ram by every Bharatiya. The joy, celebration and anticipation for January 22 transcends borders. Truly, Ram sabke hai. He belongs to all of humanity.
For the Congress party, therefore, to boycott this epochal moment only flags how low the party is willing to go for vote-bank politics and obstructionism. It is proof that it has allowed its hatred for one man and one party and its need to court a limited section of fanatics, to translate into hatred for, and rejection of, Ram and the rashtra itself. Even the most ardent Congress supporters like Arjun Modhwadia from Gujarat seem visibly shaken by the one-page official statement, ironically issued by Jairam Ramesh.
Observers are quick to highlight, legitimately so, that it fits the DNA of Hindu virodh that the Congress has exhibited right from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru who disapproved of Rajendra Prasad’s presence at the inauguration of the Somnath Mandir, which also had a history of being demolished by invaders. Nehru believed that the restoration project of Somnath was “Hindu revivalism”. To substantiate their position, observers also cite the brutal suppression of and justification for the disproportionate suppression of anti-cow slaughter protestors who were mostly Hindu saints and seers in 1966 by the Indira Gandhi government. The Congress did not help its cause in contemporary times by allowing its government to file an affidavit in 2007 that there was “no historical proof of Ram”, which was further reiterated by many Congress leaders who labelled Shri Ram as a “mythical and fictional” figure. Add to that, the coinage of the terms “Hindu terror and saffron terror”, equating Hindutva to “ISIS”; the fact that a Congress leader and lawyer appeared for one party in the Ayodhya matter and wanted it postponed further despite the long legal tussle; the open and unabashed display of appeasement politics on policy issues; and the unrelenting attacks on Sanatan Dharma by the allies of Congress in the last few months — from DMK’s Udhayanidhi Stalin to Priyank Kharge, and Swami Prasad Maurya of SP to RJD’s controversial ministers attacking the Ramcharitmanas. On all these hate-filled statements of its allies, Congress remained more or less a mute spectator.
Moreover, the arguments advanced by the official statement of the Congress to “boycott” the pran prathistha seem to be hypocritical and laced with double speak. It has labelled the ceremony as a “BJP/RSS” event. On the one hand, Congress spokespersons on TV debates kept mocking BJP leaders for years — “Mandir vahin banaoge par tarikh nahi bataoge” (You will make the mandir but won’t disclose the date) and in an attempt to prove that BJP had nothing to take credit for — the voluble spokespersons would say, “The SC judgment made Ram Mandir possible.” Today, when the SC mandated Ram Janmabhoomi Trust has begun construction, decided the date, announced it and notwithstanding the past acrimony, extended an invitation, with grace and large-heartedness to the Congress and others, its leaders have labelled it as a partisan event. It ironically undermines the very same SC judgment on Ram mandir that the Congress leaders spoke about.
Congress’ statement also argued how “religion is a personal matter.” Soon after this statement, many argued how Congress conveniently kept that principle aside in multiple instances. For example, when Sonia Gandhi as Congress president wrote to the Holy Pope in 2016 on the Canonisation Ceremony of Mother Teresa and met the Imam of Jama Masjid just before elections to enlist his support; and how the Congress party enlisted the support of churches and pastors from time to time before elections. It also allowed a religion-based personal law to prevail over an SC judgment in the Shah Bano case, and Rajiv Gandhi then decided to compensate for his folly by deputing his minister Buta Singh to attend the Shilanyas at Ayodhya. Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi also now publicly exhibit their choreographed visits to temples post-2014, especially before elections in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, such that pictures of Rahul donning the sacred janue have been released.
Ironically, the Congress-ruled Karnataka government has officially said that all state-run temples will have special pujas on January 22. If Congress truly believes religion is a personal affair, then why have state-funded Iftaar parties or state control of temples? Moreover, Ram and Ram Rajya were inalienable parts of Mahatma Gandhi’s political and public outlook. Has the Congress now well and truly given up on all the principles of Mahatma? When US presidents visit churches or take their oath of office on the Holy Bible, are they guilty of what the Congress party is suggesting — politics being mixed up with religion? Or has Congress never understood the concept of Dharma? The motto and emblem of the Supreme Court bears the shlok — Yato Dharmastato Jayah. (Where there is Dharma, there is victory). The original version of the Indian Constitution bears the illustrations of Ram, Sita and Lakshman.
The final argument made by the mandir-virodhi side is that January 22 distracts from the real issues. Ram mandir is an issue of aastha, not election. We have recently seen the results of the state assembly elections where the Opposition focused on issues like unemployment, inflation, etc. People, impressed with the BJP government’s performance and delivery on this front, voted for the party in Madhya Pradesh again despite it being in power for 18 years, and rejected Congress governments in Rajasthan and Chattisgarh after just one term.
The Ram Mandir is becoming a reality when we are no longer in the “fragile five” economies but in the “fastest five” category. We are the fastest-growing large economy in the world with the highest exports, FDI, and forex reserves that we have ever had. We have pulled out almost 13.5 crore people from poverty, we have seen a significant rise in per capita incomes, especially for the middle class, and the construction of 70+ airports, and highways at double the pace. Fifty crore people got bank accounts, more than 11 crore households got toilets and tapped water connections and over four crore poor people got a pakka awaas before Ram got his own abode. This push for virasat (heritage) doesn’t clash with vigyan (science), but it comes at a time when India has successfully become the first country in the world to land on the south side of the moon through Chandrayaan 3. The aastha and vishwas are also prominent through the world’s vishwas in us by India successfully hosting the G20.
Perhaps, the only response to the Congress’ self-destructive decision could be summed up through the words of the Mahatma Gandhi’s favourite lines, “Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram, sabko sanmati de bhagwan”.
The writer is National Spokesperson, BJP
For the Congress to boycott this epochal moment only flags how low the party is willing to go for politics
13
1
13.01.2024
I write this not as a spokesperson of any party, but as a proud Bharatiya Muslim.
January 22, 2024, will not just see the pran prathistha and the installation of the idol of Ram at the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, one of the holiest sites for Hindus, but more significantly, it will be the consecration of the most enduring symbol of national unity — a rashtra mandir. This marks the moment of civilisational triumph of a nation over 500 years of slavery and injustice, perpetrated by invaders and legitimised by their political and ideological apologists. It marks not just the building of a beautifully crafted physical structure, with stones, inspiration, ideas, labour, and artisans from every nook and corner of the nation, but the collective awakening and adoption of the value systems of Maryada Purushottam Ram by every Bharatiya. The joy, celebration and anticipation for January 22 transcends borders. Truly, Ram sabke hai. He belongs to all of humanity.
For the Congress party, therefore, to boycott this epochal moment only flags how low the party is willing to go for vote-bank politics and obstructionism. It is proof that it has allowed its hatred for one man and one party and its need to court a limited section of fanatics, to translate into hatred for, and rejection of, Ram and the rashtra itself. Even the most ardent Congress supporters like Arjun Modhwadia from Gujarat seem visibly shaken by the one-page official statement, ironically issued by Jairam Ramesh.
Observers are quick to highlight, legitimately so, that it fits the DNA of Hindu virodh that the Congress has exhibited right from the time of Jawaharlal Nehru who disapproved of Rajendra Prasad’s presence at the inauguration of the Somnath Mandir, which also had a history of being demolished by invaders. Nehru believed that the restoration project of Somnath was “Hindu revivalism”. To substantiate their position, observers also cite the brutal suppression of........
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