Ayodhya’s excess

Ayodhya’s excess

Modi government has a lot to gain by ignoring saffron pressures for Ram temple
In a twist in the Ram temple-Babri mosque title suit, government has moved the Supreme Court seeking permission to return the ‘excess’ land surrounding the disputed site to its original owners, including Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas. It will be recalled the Centre had acquired the disputed site and surrounding land totalling 67.703 acres in 1993 to maintain peace and communal harmony, after criminal demolition of the Babri mosque led to riots and bombings. But the Centre now argues that the excess land – 67.39 acres by its calculation – can be returned as 26 years have elapsed and the property dispute is still in court.

The move appears to be a last ditch effort by the Modi government to pacify Ram temple votaries who believe that BJP hasn’t done enough to build it. Various bodies of sadhus, VHP and RSS have been demanding an ordinance for the temple. While BJP maintains it wants the judicial process to run the course, it also feels that delays in hearing in the apex court hurt the party’s political prospects.

It’s against this backdrop that BJP feels the need to show progress on the Ayodhya issue, failing which it fears its core Hindutva constituency won’t support it in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. And with the two-day dharm sansad of sadhus in Allahabad beginning today to take a call on the temple matter – the event is expected to be attended by both BJP president Amit Shah and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat – BJP wants to be seen doing its best. But surely the Sangh Parivar would hate to see a non-BJP government being formed.

Moreover, the apex court in its previous rulings had made it clear that the excess land could not be delinked from the disputed site. In March 2003, a Constitution bench had clarified that use of the land adjacent to the disputed site depended on the final outcome of the title suit. This is logical as should the Muslim party eventually win the suit, returning the excess land to original Hindu owners beforehand would restrict access for the former. Plus, it could also trigger rioting similar to the ugly aftermath of that dark day in December 1992. Taken together, BJP gambling with the Ayodhya issue could backfire. It could put paid to BJP’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ message that truly helped it win 2014. Modi government has a lot to gain by ignoring saffron pressures for the Ram temple.