The court battle over the ownerships of religious sites in Kashi, Mathura has already begun. Needless to say that whatever comes out of it will be used for political games as would be the Ayodhya dispute.
The BJP kept getting elected to power by promising to build Ram Mandir in Ayodhya. Now the Opposition would be shocked if they think the BJP is not going to use the dispute for political mileage since the Ram Mandir is already erected. Without a doubt, BJP will bring forward the Ayodhya dispute. Central Home Minister Amit Shah while appealing people to keep themselves ready to come to Ayodhya on January 1, 2024, has also announced that the Ram temple would be offered to the public the same day.
To be honest, the Congress should have politically benefitted from the Ayodhya dispute as the locks of the Ram Janmabhoomi were opened during their tenure but it is a fact that the BJP stole the honour from them. The debate over Ram Janmabhoomi and Babri Masjid has been going on for the last several years and the Supreme Court gave its final judgement in 2019; the very judgement which cleared the way for Ram Mandir to be built in Ayodhya. Prime Minister Modi laid the foundation stone during the Bhoomi Pujan – a ceremony that marks the beginning of a new construction. These incident brought the matter of Ram Mandir at the center stage of national politics. Amit Shah too took pot shots at Congress MP Rahul Gandhi. Taking a dig at the Opposition, Shah said that the Congress did not commit to a date to build the Ram Mandir. He also advised people to book their tickets to go to Ayodhya with a claim that the Ram Mandir would be fully built by January 1, 2024. Since the time India gained independence, the Congress leaders have kept the issue of Ram Mandir in the courts. First in Sessions Court, then High Court and Supreme Court and once again back to Sessions Court. The issue was kept stuck in the court proceedings. As said by Shah, Modi came to power and so did the Supreme Court’s judgement followed by bhoomi pujan and construction of the temple. But as a matter of fact, the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Mosque debate has been going on for decades, however the Congress’ stance on it was never clear. Inorder to appease the Hindus and Muslims happy, the Congress suffered a huge damage. In the end, the Congress failed to gain the backing of both the communities. In 1980, while the issue was being discussed in the court, Vishva Hindu Parishad and RSS took a stance that building a temple is a religious issue and not a court matter. In 1986, RSS requested that the Ram Janmabhoomi and nearby land be handed over to the Ram Janmabhoomi Trust. The BJP too later on took the approach that the matter is beyond the jurisdiction of the court. Immediatly, the VHP positioned itself to protest against the opening of the lock of Babri Mosque. VHP leader Ashok Singhal roped in the Congress’s former leader and minister from Uttar Pradesh Dau Dayal Khanna and former IPS officer Shrish Chandra Dikshit in these protests. The VHP took multiple meetings that time with the officials of Rajiv Gandhi-led government but to no success but it was adamant on opening the lock of the Babri Mosque. On the other hand, the Congress could neither understand the emotions of Hindus revolving around Ram Mandir nor could they appease the Muslim voters. Realising the ongoing damage that the party is suffering, the Congress on 24 September, 1985 made Vir Bahadur Singh chief minister of Uttar Pradesh replacing N D Tiwari. On February 1, 1986, Faizabad (today’s Ayodhya) local court ordered the opening of the lock of Ram Janmabhoomi; however, Congress could not openly take the credit for it. They did try to quietly spread the message among people that they were crucial in getting the lock opened but the matter slipped away from the hands of Congress. The same issue now is used by the BJP to taunt the Congress. The Lal Krishna Advani-led BJP that time had accused Congress of practising pseudo-secularism after the lock of Babri Mosque was opened. In fact, they mounted more pressure on the government by openly participating in the pro-Ram Mandir protests. RSS too sped up the protests by holding public awareness campaigns. The same things would be revised today. Congress was confused then and it is confused now which makes one thing clear that the country’s oldest party has not been able to get rid of the Ayodhya dispute. The truth is Congress paid a heavy price then for taking an overtly safe stance and since they did not learn anything from their past lessons and will continue to pay the price today.
