Abode for rama bjp must seize the moment to shape an overarching national unity based on social cohesion

Abode for rama bjp must seize the moment to shape an overarching national unity based on social cohesion

The Ram Mandir bhumi pujan ceremony marks a culmination of over three decades of struggle by Sangh Parivar to claim the land where the Babri Masjid once stood, beginning from when Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi set the ball rolling for the temple by permitting laying of its foundation stone. Given the subsequent BJP-led agitation and lengthy legal dispute, there’s no way politics and religion can be kept apart during this seminal event, to be attended by dignitaries led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath. But this is also the moment to recognise that devotion to Lord Rama must dominate in the spiritual, religious and personal spheres, while politics branches off for other constructive pursuits.

Opposing parties in the decades-old litigation like Iqbal Ansari have signalled reconciliation. Reviving the spirit of harmony was also the central message in Supreme Court’s verdict that granted Hindus the disputed land but denounced the mosque’s demolition as a criminal act. The verdict’s acceptance offers hope that the brief rupture in India’s civilisational fabric can be repaired with political parties and communities coming together for preserving communal amity. After all, the Awadh region where Ayodhya is located is famed for its Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, the metaphorical coming together of Hindu and Muslim religious and cultural elements to evolve a distinct syncretism.

Today, BJP dominates the political landscape of north India after subordinating religious and caste identities to its advantage. The onus is now on the party and its sangh affiliates to also embrace and reinforce the message of reconciliation. It must shed bitterness and move on past other communal disputes. India is now at a crossroads where it must focus all energies on development and economic progress, instead of frittering them away in pointless identity wars.

The Covid-forced constraints on the grand groundbreaking ceremony – which at another time would have drawn huge milling crowds – is a sober reminder of critical unfinished tasks. Public health needs a reset. China has grabbed slices of Indian territory and is refusing to move out. In this backdrop, too much Hindutva triumphalism and politicisation of religious differences will not only disrupt internal social cohesion and unity, it will also hinder India’s ability to join an incipient strategic alliance of secular democracies to counter Chinese expansionism. Ramayana reveals Rama as an astute coalition builder against Ravana. As the Ram Mandir is consecrated, some contemporary parallels are very hard to miss.