Nobody is stalling the Ram temple but the grand bhumi pujan in pandemic times raises uncomfortable questions
The timing, they say, is everything. So once the Supreme Court paved the way for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya, respecting civilisational belief and the heave of collective emotion and faith — one that had been appropriated by politics — one would have expected the exhibitionist propaganda around it to ebb away. Yet a grand bhumi pujan or foundation-laying ceremony is being planned during the nation’s worst time, in the middle of a pandemic, natural disasters and a stalled economy, if only to keep the temple agenda, and by extension those who live off it politically, alive. Everybody may be looking towards divine intercession in helpless times but does that behove the temple trust to host a grand ceremony, the expensive resources for which could be used for much-needed COVID-19 relief, or take liberties with social distancing rules as 250 guests, including 50 VIPs, are expected to attend a public gathering? The Government’s own advisory against public outings for those above 60 will be defeated as most guests, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and margdarshaks LK Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, are above that age limit. Question is whether these leaders will prize their religiosity over public service and messaging. Five silver bricks, symbolising the five planets as per Hindu mythology, will be used to lay the foundation, 11 priests from Varanasi and Ayodhya will congregate to do the rituals and to ward off evil spirits, silver figurines of a male and female snake and a tortoise will be buried at the construction site. Huge CCTV screens will dot Ayodhya for devotees to catch a glimpse of the proceedings, never mind if it encourages some kind of crowding. Granted, the ruling BJP has ridden a majoritarian wave to get its verdict and in the absence of a challenging Opposition, will ride the pandemic trough out, efficient or not. So it doesn’t need to mount another lavish showcase of its Hindu pride. Unless it wants to divert attention from its mishandling of the economy and burdening India’s migrant workforce. Agreed, it has to satisfy its core constituency of Hindu voters and ideologues but does that mean humouring them to such an extent that consciously privileges them and their rights over followers of other faiths and practices despite pandemic restrictions? And while world over prayers are on, wishing the end of COVID-19, how can the temple authorities justify that prayers during the ceremony on August 3 or August 5, being the most auspicious days, would help in ridding the country of the virus?
Of course, the political undertones are not too difficult to miss. The expected ceremony coincides with the first anniversary of the revocation of special status of the former State of Jammu & Kashmir and the abrogation of Article 370. While the Government may claim to have enacted that within a constitutional space and is already trotting out figures of developmental funding to justify the conversion of territories, the celebrations at Ayodhya say otherwise. They are meant to be a mid-term campaign of the Modi Government that it has fulfilled the promises made in its manifesto in record time. The event is also an indication that identity politics, which had been derailed by the pandemic, will gain momentum, examples of which are apparent from the way the Government is pursuing dissenters and activists even in the middle of a pandemic. Take the case of Varavara Rao, who was arrested in the Elgar Parishad-Maoist links case in 2018, which is now with the NIA. At 80, he is COVID-19 positive and was moved to a hospital much later. There is radio silence on his status with his family unaware of his condition. The Opposition criticism came from Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, who said instead of a bhumi pujan now, the Government should focus on the pandemic and the economy. But the Modi Government, which has apportioned health management to respective States and knows that it could pass the buck in case of a worsening disease spiral to them, can hardly be expected to share Pawar’s concerns over Maharashtra, the worst-hit State. Congress leader Digvijaya Singh joined the chorus after Pawar made the move. But both leaders represent the ruling coalition in Maharashtra as partners of the Shiv Sena, which lauded the temple construction and claimed to have “laid the road” to it, “not for politics but out of faith.” The political fissures were all too apparent as Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray would attend and that the fight against the virus was being fought “by our doctors in white attire, whom we call devdoot (messenger of God).” Question is whether Lord Ram himself would have condoned such celebrations or helped the sick instead. The problem is that there is no end to the temple card; it will continue to be used for historical corrections that are guided by narrow political considerations. Ayodhya’s god-king wouldn’t like his maryada to be tampered with. Yet, who cares?