VHP, RSS on Ram Temple

CONSIDER the irony. A government elected on the promise of vikas and resolve, among other things, is being egged by self-regulating organisations to disobey the Supreme Court. The Congress, which fashions itself as the party-in-waiting, had long abandoned any pretence of being even-handed in matters of religion. Rahul Gandhi’s temple hopping in Gujarat brought it within smelling distance of an upset is being replicated in Madhya Pradesh. This tactical and purely opportunistic move in both these states will have curtailed its option of preventing the Temple discourse from becoming one-sided on the political plane. The impression is strengthened when RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat termed an ordinance as ‘a matter of national interest’ and the Congress holding its peace.

Till now, it was the RSS affiliates like the VHP that sought a resolution of the dispute by force, while arguing ingeniously that such a move will ensure harmony. The RSS’s demand for an ordinance suggests that the expectations of an early apex court decision have faded even though the next hearing is 10 days away. The top court is examining the issue with deliberative care. It has already sorted out two: refusing to refer the matter to a five-judge Constitution Bench and declining to go into an earlier judgment that Islam and namaaz were not relevant in this suit. But there is no indication whether the light at the end of the tunnel will be visible before the 2019 polls.

Given the current polarisation, PM Modi may hope to reap the political whirlwind by going into the 2019 elections with an ordinance and promising to convert it into a law, provided voters once again voted with their feet. But elections are never a one-pony race. He might ponder whether a Ram Temple ordinance is enough to overshadow the partial successes on other fronts, as also the impact of a counter-regional and caste mobilisation by the opponents. More than the Congress, as was the game plan, it is the BJP which will find itself under siege by fraternal organisations.