Ram temple out of closet as polls near

Dropping clear indication that BJP has shed its inhibition on raking up Ram temple issue after a favourable verdict by the Supreme Court, party chief Amit Shah, from an election rally podium in Ranchi announced that a “magnificent” Ram temple will be built now.

Testing the audience response first, Shah, addressing an election rally in Latehar, asked people “Ram Mandir Banana Chaahiye Ki Nahin Banana Chaahiye (whether Ram temple should be constructed or not).

As the crowd cheered, Shah went on, pointing at Congress' stand vis-a-vis that of BJP on it. “We were from very beginning committed to construction of a magnificent temple,” Shah said adding “but Congress was putting obstacles, not allowing the case to move forward in the Supreme Court.”

“There was a wish in the mind of every citizen of the country that a magnificent temple should be constructed at the birthplace of Ram We always felt that there should be a Constitutional solution to this. This decision could not be taken. But Lord Rama obliged and Supreme Court through a consensus decision paved the way for the construction of a magnificent temple on the birthplace of Lord Rama,” he said.

“Now the court’s decision has come and very soon a magnificent Ram temple will be built in Ayodhya,” he declared.

This was the first time after the Supreme Court November 9 judgment in favour of Ram temple that the issue was raised by the BJP on any open public platform, all the more in an election rally.

Earlier in the first week of November ahead of the Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya, the leadership had told party leaders and spokespersons to refrain from making provocative or emotive statements on the Ram temple issue.

The RSS had also called its Pracharaks not to organise celebrations or carry processions if the judgement comes in favour of Ram temple, a stand which RSS, VHP and BJP have been maintaining till date.

Clearly, the BJP has realised the resonance that Ram temple issue can have in the Hindi belt and Jharkhand will be the first testing ground for the issue. Upcoming assembly polls in Delhi early next year could be another occasion, where the BJP may go the whole hog on the Ram temple issue.

In Jharkhand, BJP has failed to have electoral agreements with its erstwhile ally All Jharkhand Students Union and is facing a combined Opposition alliance of JMM, Congress and RJD.