Political
Diary
New Delhi,
12 November 2019
Ayodhya Verdict
INDIA EMBRACES BHARAT BHAKTI
By Poonam I Kaushish
The Gods, Ram
and Rahim have had their way, say and come out
trumps. The Ayodhya dispute which had became synonymous with Hindu-Muslim
tensions and repeatedly frayed India’s secular fabric is finally settled. The nation has moved on. Serenading
the triumph of the rule of law and judiciary. 'Ishwar Allah tero naam, sabko sanmati de bhagawan.'
India’s
‘temple of justice’ Supreme Court delivered a historic unanimous 1045-pages judicial
judgment after 69 long years of political and court battles on Saturday. The 5 judge
Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said the rights of the 2.77 acre
disputed plot in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid stood before it was razed in 1992 was indeed the
birthplace of Lord Ram
and will be handed over to the deity Ram Lalla who is one of the three
litigants in the case. The possession of the land, however, will remain with
the Central Government which will set up a trust within three months to oversee
construction of the temple.
The
Muslims will get “alternate land” a five-acre plot of land elsewhere for a
mosque, thereby putting to rest the
Sunni Waif Board
claims that as the disputed
structure was built by Babar they alone had lien on the land. Happily, the Board has
negated the idea of filing a review petition.
Importantly,
the Court has rubbished the Allahabad High Court’s legally tenuous attempted
compromise of dividing the disputed site into three parts among the Hindus, Nirmohi Akhara and
the Sunni Waif Board. Succinctly, the Court has put a closure on an
issue that has been on the agenda of a moderately modernist, forward-looking
nation since the late 1980s.
Certainly,
this is music to the Ram Bhakts led
by the Sangh Parivar’s fountainhead RSS and its affiliates. For the BJP it is a
validation and culmination of it decades long fight for construction of a
temple for Lord Ram on the site of the Babri Masjid. The Party
obviously hopes to derive political
mileage out of the judgment, despite its muted mature response.
Remember
it all began with then BJP President Advani’s Rath Yatra from Gujarat’s Somnath
temple on 25 September which culminated in Ayodhya October 1990. The Yatra
caused an outpouring of both religious and militant sentiments among Hindus,
and became one of India's biggest mass movements.
But
it also triggered religious violence with riots across North India. As a
result, Advani was arrested by the Bihar Government following which the BJP
withdrew support to VP Singh’s National Front Government. The demolition of the
Masjid on 6 December 1992 altered the political landscape, strained communal
ties and is still combustible enough to re-ignite temperatures.
Predictably,
the Yatra propelled the BJP on the back of religious polarisation and over the
years its Ram strategy paid rich dividends and it made significant electoral
gains in every election and since 2014 occupies India’s Raj gaddi.
In
a sense, the Ayodhya dispute with its political undertones, underscores the
nemesis of depending wholly and pathetically on the judicial process to tackle
an issue of faith. It is to the Court’s credit that it pierced the veil of the
politicization of the Ayodhya demolition, overtly by BJP and covertly by
Congressand others, and is treating it as a property dispute.
Significantly, there are five lessons to be learnt from the Ayodhya battle. One, the
people have shown their inherent maturity. There were no untoward incidents, fiery
and inciting speeches, celebration or despondency. Asserted Prime
Minister Modi, “this verdict shouldn’t be seen as a win or loss for anybody….It
is imperative that we strengthen the spirit of Rashtra Bhakti.” The Congress
welcomed the verdict and though disagreeing with it, the Sunni Board accepted
it.
Two, the
judgment will go a long way in becoming a catalytic agent to integrate India
and make it a cohesive whole. Three, least, it will
strengthen the basic features of the Constitution and the confidence of the
people, especially of the minorities, on the independence of the judiciary and
the rule of law. The judgment underscore that the judiciary is competent, not
influenced by any considerations and has the courage to decide each and every
sort of dispute, other than those which are recognised by the law of the land.
Four,
the issue has lost its potency as a
new generation considers it a non-issue and eagerly embraces the dawn of a
resurgent vibrant emerging nation. Last but not the least, 26 years is a long
time to heal wounds of hurt religious zeal. The protagonists of the Ram
Janambhoomi movement have faded away and a brimming new Gen Next clueless about
the religious portents now awaits a big push towards economic development.
The moot point: Does the Court’s
expedience contain the potential for subversion of democracy and the equality
of faiths guaranteed by the Constitution? Even as the verdict has given the
land to Ram Lalla, it has not legitimized the movement to demolish the mosque.
Thereby, reiterating the principle of equality that informs the Constitution.
Will the judgment be a soul cleanser
for out netagan? Will they stop using
religion as a hand maiden to serve their petty, parochial political ends?
Importantly, it has driven the final nail in the coffin of our polity who has
mastered the deceitful art of using religion per se as their vote-bank excelsior. Wherein the secularists,
pseudo-secularists and communalists are all rolled into one.
Neither should we strain our secular
credibility. Being secular does not negate religion or beliefs. Mahatma Gandhi
prefaced his daily prayer meetings with Ram
Dhun and repeatedly talked of bringing about Ram Rajya as the ultimate in good Government. He understood the
dominant sentiment of India better than anyone else.
It
is now time for the political Parties to close their ranks and re-dedicate
themselves to a truly secular nation. There can be no two opinions that the
developments at Ayodhya will alter the course of contemporary politics from
which both the BJP and the Congress stand to gain as well as lose.
Clearly,
the verdict allows both the State and its citizens to now focus on other
matters pertaining to governance, development, social and economic prosperity,
and the keeping of law and order. In fact, the temple can become a symbol of
national unity if all castes and communities are involved in rebuilding it. After
all, it was none other than Mohammad Iqbal who hailed Ram as Imam e Hind.
We need to remember that India is a
pluralistic society where Hindus and Muslims have to live and die together.
Those at the helm of governance must desist from showing a bias towards any
faith as it could seriously strain inter-religious relations. People across all
castes and communities are now craving for progress and development.
Undoubtedly, our polity has to desist from playing ducks and drakes with
the aam aadmi’s religious beliefs, be
it Ram Bhakti or Rahim Bhakti. It is only through sheer force of political will and
authority that a Government can bring about communal harmony for the betterment
of a future India. Can it deliver? ---
INFA
(Copyright, India News & Feature Alliance)
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