Ram Mandir Consecration Ceremony: Why Didn’t Opposition Attend the Glorious Event?
Kumar Rakesh
The glorious consecration ceremony of the Ram mandir in Ayodhya concluded successfully. The mandir trust invited a number of prominent people to the occasion, including musicians, actors, religious leaders, and athletes from all branches of the government. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the guest of honor at the pran pratistha function, which has an exclusive guest list of more than 10,000 people. It’s interesting to note that the only other BJP chief minister to get an invitation is Yogi Adityanath, who serves as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the state that contains Ayodhya. With a focus on the ceremony’s importance as a political and cultural milestone for the party, prominent BJP officials around the country have organized public screenings of the event in Ayodhya.
Despite inviting a number of Opposition politicians, the mandir trust has received mixed responses to their decision to decline. A few opponents claim that the BJP is politicising a sacred occasion, while others have stated that they want to visit the mandir later.
The political leaders’ invitations have caused a stir among the pigeons as the mandir consecration ceremony drew closer. A dire political predicament befalls the Opposition’s INDIA alliance. As the ceremony progresses, it becomes unclear what major Opposition leaders plan to do with their time. The decision to attend or not highlights the nuanced interplay between politics and faith at this momentous historical epoch.
The Journey of Rahul Gandhi in Assam
Congressman Rahul Gandhi is scheduled to travel to Batadrava Than, the birthplace of the 15th-century social reformer Srimanta Sankardev, as part of the northeastern Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra. Rahul Gandhi expressed his irritation, stating that he couldn’t attend the mandir because of certain barriers and wondering why these limits were in place. He inquired, “What crime have I committed that I cannot visit the temple?”
Chief Minister of Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress leaders got into a furious argument about Mr. Gandhi’s visit to Batadrava Than, which was scheduled to take place after the Ram mandir event. Aware of the possible bad effects for Assam from TV channels concurrently airing both ceremonies, Mr. Sarma begged Mr. Gandhi to refrain from inciting rivalry between the Ram mandir and Batadrava Satra. Expecting a large number of visitors during the Ayodhya event, Batadrava Than has asked the Congress leader to postpone the visit till after the ceremony.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh claimed that Mr. Sarma “loses his mental balance whenever he hears the name of Congress and Rahul Gandhi” and accused the Chief Minister of Assam of blocking the Congress yatra.
The Congress has scheduled a countrywide demonstration today in response to a widely shared video of a BJP protest occurring along Rahul Gandhi’s yatra route. In the footage, BJP workers can be seen yelling “Jai Shri Ram” and “Modi, Modi” as Mr. Gandhi’s convoy drives by. According to the Congress, love would ultimately win over hate because Mr. Gandhi answered calmly. Mallikarjun Kharge, the President of the Congress, is actively taking part in Mr. Gandhi’s yatra across the northeast. He was originally invited to the Ayodhya ceremony accompanying Sonia Gandhi.
‘Interfaith rally’ called by Mamata Banerjee
Mamata Banerjee, the leader of the Trinamool Congress and the Chief Minister of Bengal, advocated for interfaith unity during a simultaneous rally in Kolkata as the Ayodhya event was taking place. Despite being invited to the Ayodhya event, Ms. Banerjee first led the “all-faith rally” after praying at the ancient Kalighat temple.
The BJP even tried to get the court to intervene in order to stop the march, but their attempts to deflect attention from the Ayodhya event were futile. With counter arguments, the Trinamool has organized similar demonstrations in the past. Abhishek Banerjee, a prominent Trinamool leader and the nephew of Ms. Banerjee, responded by claiming that his religious convictions preclude embracing a place of worship that is built on “hatred, violence, and the dead bodies of innocents.” As comments of “hopelessness” at a time when the country is excitedly awaiting the consecration event, the state BJP condemned such statements.
Events commemorating the celebration of Ayodhya are organized by AAP
To commemorate the Ayodhya incident, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has organized a number of events in Delhi, including shobha yatras, bhandaras, recitals of Sundar Kand, and aartis. Ministers, MLAs, and council members of the party took an active part in these community events. Despite not receiving an official invitation to the function, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal stated it makes no difference. He said that there were limitations because of the large number of VIPs and VVIPs, and that just one individual was permitted for security reasons. Kejriwal informed his wife, kids, and parents that he planned to visit Ayodhya at a later time.
In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, Kejriwal has urged all AAP ministers, MLAs, council members, and employees to take part in shobha yatras, give to bhandaras, and give back to the community. The party places great emphasis on the fact that “Lord Ram does not belong to any specific political party” and that he stands for the wonderful values of Bharatiya culture. According to a party spokesman, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the other party leaders subsequently gathered to seek Lord Ram for blessings with their families.
The BJP and DMK are at odds in Tamil Nadu
The BJP and the DMK, led by MK Stalin, are at odds on how to approach the Ayodhya dispute, and their disagreement has gotten worse in Tamil Nadu. Even though the DMK has publicly opposed building a mandir in the wake of the “demolition of a mosque,” the BJP claims the ruling party has refused to allow public screenings of the Ayodhya event. The BJP is allegedly trying to draw attention away from its youth congress in Salem, but the DMK denies this claim. Nirmala Sitharaman, the minister of finance, contends that the live broadcast of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir event has been “banned” by the Tamil Nadu government. She denounces this as a “anti-Hindu, hateful action,” claiming that state-managed mandir are prohibiting any religious activities in the name of Shri Ram, such as puja, bhajan, or prasadam.
The party’s position was previously stated by Udhayanidhi Stalin, a DMK minister and Mr. Stalin’s son: “We don’t have a problem with a mandir coming up there. We are not in agreement with the construction of a mandir after demolishing a mosque.”
Udhayanidhi Stalin and other opposition leaders made remarks that prompted the BJP to ask people to identify “adharmi” (irreligious) people.
Seniors leader Lalu Yadav and Sharad Pawar and other renowned leaders’ preferred not to participate
Sharad Pawar, the leader of the NCP, thanked the mandir trust for their invitation but declared that, in order to escape the crowd, he would be visiting the Ayodhya temple after the ceremony. In a similar vein, Lalu Yadav, the founder of Rashtriya Janata Dal, has decided not to attend. The Rath Yatra led by LK Advani was stopped by Mr. Yadav last week in support of the mandir; he gave no explanation for his decision to miss it. Leader of the Samajwadi Party, Akhilesh Yadav has accepted the invitation along with other opposition leaders, saying he plans to take his family to the mandir following the pran pratistha ceremony.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction, Uddhav Thackeray, has also decided not to attend the Ayodhya ceremony. Sanjay Raut, his party leader and adviser, declared that Mr. Thackeray will perform a “maha aarti” on the banks of the Godavari River and give prayers at the Kalaram mandir in Nashik.
Sanjay Raut questioned the way Mr. Thackeray was treated, expressing displeasure with the invitation issued via speed post. “Lord Ram is going to curse you. The Thackeray family, who are strongly connected to the movement, are not invited, despite the fact that all movie stars are,” he said.
The CPM had earlier announced its intention to abstain from the function, citing religious sentiments as sacred and voicing apprehension about the BJP’s attempt to turn religion into politics.
Ayodhya’s Ram Mandir is all about eternal trust. Even when the mandir collapsed, people clung to their faith for centuries. It also has political overtones. The struggle for the reclamation of the Ram Janmbhoomi land began with the political hegemony that led to the destruction of the mandir.
Unfortunately, it was not an easy decision. It’s also not a matter of choice. There has been a political movement around the Ram Mandir, and political parties run the risk of their decisions being viewed through a political lens and having an impact on the next election.
