It seems that BJP had to pay a price for its dilution of the core Hindutva agenda in the state assembly elections of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh. On the hand, the soft Hindutva stance by the Congress has helped them in the Hindi heartland.
Results of the state assembly elections of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh are wake up call for the saffron party and its leader who believe that giving LPG connections, homes, electricity, eliminating the Naxals etc is going to culminate into electoral benefits. BJP does not enjoy the luxury of blind support, unlike Congress. The supporters of the BJP are not Andh Bhakt. They want their party to deliver on Ram Mandir, rehabilitation of Kashmiri Pandits, Article 370, and Article 35A. The BJP has a majority in Lok Sabha and it is also the largest party in the Rajya Sabha as well, so what is stopping the BJP to bring an ordinance for the construction of Ram Temple.
On October 29, after the Supreme Court adjourned the hearing on Ayodhya case until January 2019, people expected BJP to go for ordinance route but their expectations suffered a serious setback. BJP, prior to 2014 General Elections, promised the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and included it even in its election manifesto, but it seems now they are giving it less preference. Few stalwart BJP leaders strongly believe that they can win 2019 elections only on the plank of Vikaas (Development).
The BJP’s rise in National politics started from the Ram Mandir movement. This issue is one of the reasons behind the BJP’s increase in tally from 2 seats in 1988 to being the single largest political party in India. People are expecting the saffron party to deliver on its promise of the construction of Ram Temple. This single issue would decide the fate of the BJP in the upcoming 2019 General elections. The spiritual leaders of Ayodhya have made it very clear that if the BJP doesn’t fulfill its promise then they should not expect their support. The BJP would suffer Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh like debacle if they don’t honor their commitment to their core voters. BJP should learn from these results and stick to its core Hindutva philosophy otherwise people won’t hesitate to go for the soft Hindutva of the Congress. Now even, the Congress leaders have started making promises that it’s the Congress that would construct the Ram Temple. The saffron party should act quickly otherwise it will lose its core Hindutva vote to other parties.
Ram Mandir is not just a temple. It is a symbol of faith, struggle, and determination of Hindus. It is a struggle to fight back, restore and preserve their 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. Ayodhya is an integral part of Hindu identity and construction of the long-awaited Ram Mandir would bolster the Hindu unity.
