Gujarat election wasn’t just interesting, but extremely important as well in many ways for both the BJP and the Congress. That is why both the parties invested every bit of their strength in this election. Gujarat elections have never been so interesting in the last 25 years or so nor has the media taken it so seriously because everybody knew the result before the counting day. The election was always a Congress Vs Modi match where Modi pummeled Congress easily. But this time, CM Modi was PM Modi and hence out of the state politics, Hardik, Jignesh, Alpesh’s trio were at Congress’ dispense, and Rahul Gandhi did not leave any stone unturned in trying to make a dent in BJP’s well-fortified castle.
The normally 2002-Gujarat-riots-obsessed Congress Party was unapologetically Hindu this time. They didn’t even mention Muslims or their rights. Congress didn’t don the skull cap, nor did he offer namaz at any mosque. It was quite difficult to believe that Congress the party that has always opposed the creation of Ram Mandir, denied Lord Ram’s historicity, and ordered the demolition of Ram Sethu, was suddenly obsessed with Temples. For the last two months, Rahul was seen prostrating in Hindu temples. But before Rahul could fool the Gujaratis into believing that he really loves Hindus, Kapil Sibal undid everything.
The strange demand of Kapil Sibal’s case to be kept till the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Sibal demanded from the court that the Ram Mandir matter should be heard after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. He argued that the hearing could have an effect on the general election of 2019. On this, the central government’s counsel said that the government is in favor of daily hearing of the matter. Sunni Board’s second lawyer Rajiv Dhawan said that if the matter is heard every day, the hearing will take one year to complete.
Kapil Sibal said in the Supreme Court that the judicial verdict in the Ayodhya verdict would have a big political impact and therefore the hearing should be put on hold till July 2019. Kapil Sibal is a senior leader of the Congress, Congress is not a party in this Ram Mandir case and the Sunni Waqf Board, which really is a party wants the hearing soon. Hence, it became clear that when Sibal was arguing for the trial to be put off, he was talking on behalf of the Congress and not his client Sunni Waqf Board.
BJP President Amit Shah said that on one side Rahul Gandhi is on a temple visiting spree, on the other side Kapil Sibal is trying to hang the case of Ram Mandir. Congress tried to brush off the episode as Sibal’s ‘personal opinion’ as a lawyer, but the Prime Minister took Sibal and the entire Congress party to the cleaners.
During a rally in Gujarat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked if Congress will fight the elections in 2019 or the Sunni Waqf Board? He also said that ‘I have no objection to the fact that Kapil Sibal is fighting on behalf of the Muslim community, but how can it be said that till the next election, there should be no solution to the Ayodhya matter? How does this relate to the Lok Sabha elections? ‘
Is it right to just hang the Ayodhya dispute because of the election?
If Sibal wants to delay the Ayodhya issue only because of political compulsions, it is obvious that there is nothing in it for his Client Sunni Waqf Board as they want a quick resolution to the Ram Mandir case. The big absurdity in Sibal’s Statement also stems from the fact that there are elections in some state in India every alternate month. Should the Ram Mandir case be delayed indefinitely then?
There are many state elections in 2018 not to disregard the countless municipal elections, 2019 will witness a general election and five important states elections. After this, elections will be held again in 4 major states in 2020. If Sibal’s statement is considered, then there would never be a day in which a hearing for Ram Mandir could take place.
Congress is not a party in Ram Mandir dispute, but Sibal managed to drag them in it. PM Modi managed to successfully attribute the delay in the Ram Mandir case to the Congress Party.