The Supreme Court hearing on Ram Temple case commenced on 29th October. However, defying the expectations and to certain extent the common sense, the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on Ayodhya case until January 2019.
Despite the Court’s earlier promise that the hearing would be fast-tracked, the verdict of this week is baffling. The case has been in the judiciary for a very long time. The first civil suit in the matter dates back to 1885. The matter has been sub judice for 133 years and still counting.
Even after the long legal battle the resolution seems nowhere and this is on judiciary which, after the verdict of 29th October, it seems does not consider it an important matter. The Ram temple issue is indeed an important matter as it pertains to the faith of millions of Hindus and this delay in resolution is tantamount to willfully hurting the sentiments of Hindus. The long legal delay seems unwarranted as there are multiple evidences for Ram Temple. For now, it seems ordinance is the only way towards Ram temple and the government must act before it’s too late.
The timing to go for ordinance route could not be more favorable. The recent triple talaq ordinance has been appreciated by the people and also given the Modi government confidence to go for the ordinance route in long-pending issues such as the Ram Temple. As far as the opposition parties are concerned, given the recent attempt of ‘Hindu appeasement’ by Rahul Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee and others, if the government decides to take an ordinance route then the opposition would be in a catch 22 situation. Any protest by the opposition against the Ram Temple ordinance would expose their opportunism. It would further cement the fact that their sudden love for Hinduism is all because of upcoming general elections and to woo Hindu voters. Throughout the election campaign, the BJP would continuously remind people how the opposition parties obstructed the construction of Ram Mandir. And, if the opposition chooses to support the ordinance then it would pave the way for the construction of the Ram Temple. In this scenario, the victory would be of BJP’s as it could rightly claim that it’s the BJP government which constructed the Ram Mandir and not the anti-Hindu opposition parties. It would also provide a major boost in solidifying BJP’s position and electoral prospects in 2019. Overall, it would be a win-win situation for the BJP. For the opposition, however, options would be very limited. It would be either oppose the ordinance and lose any prospects for getting Hindu vote or support the ordinance, lose the core voter base (meticulously accrued through years of appeasement) and hope for the best.
If the BJP brings Ram Temple ordinance then that would be a decider of the BJP’s fate in the upcoming 2019 General elections. The spiritual leaders of Ayodhya have made it very clear that if the BJP doesn’t fulfil its promise to construct Ram Temple in Ayodhya then they should not expect their support.
The Ram Mandir is not just a temple. It is a symbol of faith and struggle. A struggle to fight back, restore and preserve the faith. A Ram Mandir would also put Ayodhya on a fast track of growth and development. It would completely change the face of Ayodhya forever and Ayodhya would get back its rightful place in the conscience of Indians worldwide.
