The Ram Mandir Janmabhoomi event yesterday marked a new dawn in the context of Indian politics. The grand old party of Congress finally became a Ram-bhakt after years of dissing him and the Hindus. The lucrative vote bank of Hindus was too much of a tease to resist for the party but in doing so, Congress has lodged the final nail in its coffin of existence.
Congress’ soft reboot towards Hindutva and Hindus in particular has not gone down well with its allies. The party despite trying to present itself more palatable to the Hindus isn’t going to garner their votes but is certain to lose its loyal Muslim vote bank–if the reactions of UPA’s allies are any indication.
Reported earlier by TFI, All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) President Asadudding Owaisi had thrashed Congress for showing its true colors and thanked it for ‘not pretending anymore’.
“Glad that they are not pretending anymore. It’s okay if they want to embrace this extremist ideology of Hindutva but why all this hollow talk about brotherhood? Don’t be shy, please be proud of your party’s contributions to the movement that demolished our Babri Masjid” Owaisi had tweeted.
Glad that they are not pretending anymore. It's okay if they want to embrace this extremist ideology of Hindutva but why all this hollow talk about brotherhood?
Don't be shy, please be proud of your party's contributions to the movement that demolished our Babri Masjid https://t.co/wT2H9GJ7MD
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) August 4, 2020
Another UPA ally, DMK was also particularly miffed by Congress change of stance. According to media reports, DMK was upset and embarrassed by the fervor displayed by Congress leaders from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to Kamal Nath to ride the Ram-Ayodhya wave by openly flaunting their support for the temple’s construction.
DMK in past has been extremely abusive of Shree Ram. DMK leader Karunanidhi had once shamelessly said that Shree Ram was a drunkard and that Ramayan was a lie. DMK, like Congress, had also supported the destruction of Ram Setu citing there was no historical evidence to prove the existence of Shree Ram.
And owning to DMK’s hatred for Hindus, Congress had been thick as thieves with it over the years. However, the aforementioned equation is about to change as the Gandhi clan has taken a diametrically opposite stance now.
DMK was so miffed at the Bhoomi Pujan that it suspended one of its MLA for supporting the event. MLA Ku Ka Selvam was thrown out of the party by party chief MK Stalin after he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and met BJP president JP Nadda in Delhi on Tuesday and claimed the DMK had become a family’s party.
Immediately after being ousted, Ku Ka Selvam visited BJP’s office in Chennai and murmurs are going around that he might join BJP.
Another major UPA ally the Indian Union Muslim League on Wednesday passed a resolution expressing displeasure over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s statement on the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.
“We express our displeasure on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s untimely statement on the construction of temple at Ayodhya,” read the statement released by Muslim League.
While the political allies were getting miffed with Congress, its unofficial spokesperson Rana Ayyub felt betrayed by the change of camps and displayed her anger over the micro-blogging website.
The Indian National Congress displaying its true character. https://t.co/y54eD08Vs7
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) August 5, 2020
Congress and its love for Shree Ram
After Priyanka Vadra’s Shree Ram love, the other Gandhi sibling, Rahul Gandhi also came out yesterday and joined the field in serenading Shree Ram and his bhakts.
मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम भगवान राम सर्वोत्तम मानवीय गुणों का स्वरूप हैं। वे हमारे मन की गहराइयों में बसी मानवता की मूल भावना हैं।
राम प्रेम हैं
वे कभी घृणा में प्रकट नहीं हो सकतेराम करुणा हैं
वे कभी क्रूरता में प्रकट नहीं हो सकतेराम न्याय हैं
वे कभी अन्याय में प्रकट नहीं हो सकते।— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 5, 2020
Kamal Nath after losing his Madhya Pradesh CM Chair has certainly turned towards Shree Ram and is doing all in his might to woo the Hindu voters as he sent bricks to the Bhoomi Pujan ceremony.
We are sending 11 silver brick to Ayodhya from the people of Madhya Pradesh, they were bought with donations from Congress members. It's a historic day (tomorrow) for which entire country was waiting. Hanuman Chalisa recital was done for welfare of the state's people: Kamal Nath https://t.co/FvWkWSKfWM pic.twitter.com/xNW92IO2Zz
— ANI (@ANI) August 4, 2020
राम मंदिर निर्माण के भूमिपूजन के शुभ अवसर पर आज प्रदेश कांग्रेस कार्यालय में दीप प्रज्वलन कार्यक्रम।
—मध्यप्रदेश कांग्रेस अध्यक्ष कमलनाथ जी आज शाम 6.30 बजे प्रदेशवासियों की ओर से दीप प्रज्वलित करेंगे। pic.twitter.com/Q2FMXfV1Ui
— MP Congress (@INCMP) August 5, 2020
With the commencement of the construction of Ram Mandir, it has been all but ascertained that the vote of Hindus of the country is not going elsewhere than BJP.
The grand-old party of Congress had been on the fence about the Ram Mandir and Ram Mandir Bhoomi Pujan for the large part of its existence. The Nehruvian secularist policies that Congress employed entailed it to mollycoddle the ‘so-called minorities’ to garner their appeasement votes. For the last 70 years, Congress vilified Hindus whenever it got the chance and when its political existence looked in danger, the party devoid of any ideology, quickly flipped.
BJP has fulfilled almost all its poll-manifesto promises—from removing Triple Talaq to abrogating Article 370 to getting the construction of Ram temple up and running, the NDA regime under PM Narendra Modi has given severe heartburn to parties like Congress, AIMIM and DMK.
It is evident that Congress is losing its minuscule hold it had over these regional parties and their core vote bank but what is laughable is Congress’ ambition that it will get the Hindu’s votes. But who knows, Shree Ram might help Congress and its tottering fortunes if indeed it has its heart in the right place.