Ram Temple a ‘non-issue’ in Ayodhya, Faizabad

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Faizabad/Ayodhya, February 25

The place virtually forms the Centre of the saffron politics which led BJP to the heights of 282 Lok Sabha seats from a mere two in 1984.

Building of a “grand” Ram Temple at Ayodhya continues to be a part of its discourse but Prime Minister Narendra Modi giving Faizabad and Ayodhya a “miss” in spite of his otherwise extensive election coverage in Uttar Pradesh appears telling.

Till about two days before electioneering ended here today, expectations were rife that he would be making a stopover in Faizabad before the fifth phase goes to the poll on Monday.

While BJP strategists point to his rallies in close-by areas like Basti, Gonda, Bahraich and Barabanki, many here do not share the view point.

Incidentally, Faizabad, the old capital of Awadh, is the Lok Sabha constituency from where Lallu Singh is the BJP MP. The district has five Assembly seats — Rudauli, Milkipur, Ayodhya, Gosaimganj and Bikapur.

Embroiled in the bitter Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid controversy for decades, Ayodhya is located barely seven kilometers from Faizabad town.

For many in Ayodhya, including supporters of the BJP, the Ram Temple is a political issue that lost its steam long back. Youth have little or no traction for it.

Crying for a better deal, people of the dismally-neglected Ayodhya would rather prefer development and infrastructure to be made as election issues.

The reason why the PM left it to Home Minister Rajnath Singh to make usual noises about the “politically-flogged before the election times” issue that the “grand Ram Temple at Ayodhya” has now become.

Also, the BJP leadership discovered better and more effective ways to achieve the purpose. The Prime Minister’s statements like “kabristan-shamshan and power situation vis-a-vis Diwali and Eid” found better connect with non-upper castes of the majority community.

The indifference over when or whether such a temple would be built is all pervasive in Ayodhya. Common voters think so and so do those connected with what has come to be known as makeshift temple at the disputed site.

“When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister, there was a hope that construction (of the temple) will soon start,” says Acharya Satyendra Das, the head priest of the Ram Janmabhoomi Temple.

“If the Prime Minister wanted, he could have easily resolved the issue,” says a government official who is part of the make-shift temple administration as a part of the court’s direction.

BJP leaders defend saying that top leaders have visited Faizabad and reiterated the party’s commitment to build the temple. “BJP chief Amit Shah has spoken at Rudauli. Rajnath Singh is the number two in the government. He has been here and what he says is equally important,” they say.

VHP leader Sharad Sharma says the Ram Mandir remains an issue related to ‘astha’ (faith). However, issues related to development are also equally important.

As per Mahant Ram Das of the famous Nirmohi Akhada, the PM gave Ayodhya a miss perhaps because he did not want to get into the mandir-masjid ‘vivad’ (dispute). “The PM does not want to be a part of the dispute, he wants to resolve it,” he says.

Caught in a time warp for far too long, people of the temple town located on banks of the Saryu have also moved on. They seem to have learnt to live with “Ram lalla” in a tarpaulin tent in the heavily guarded disputed site.

Rakesh Saini, a vendor of flower garlands outside Hanumangarhi — the temple as important to the Ram Janmabhoomi as Hanuman was to Lord Rama — points to lack of basic infrastructure, pot-holed roads, stinking ghats and the “missing” development in the town. “If the BJP comes to power, the PM will be in a much better position to give us all that,” he says.

Faizabad, which has better facilities, has made gains at the cost of Ayodhya, he adds.

But for now, as Saini says, Ayodhya is just a pawn in the UP’ politics, dusted and aired before the election time.

And the Prime Minister, well he seems to be finding much better response with issues like demonetisation, as demonstrated by Maharashtra two days back.