In 1528 - came a structure called 'Masjid' --- sadly of course - it was destroyed on Dec 6, 1992 !
Erasing a dark chapter, India performs Bhoomi Pujan for grand Ram Mandir
Ayodhya:
Erasing a dark chapter of India's history vis-a-vis Sanatan polity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday performed the Bhoomi pujan' of a Supreme Court-mandated grand Ram temple in Ayodhya, the sacred and historic place where God Ram was born.
In 1528 a structure called Babri masjid was built by Mughal invaders and the same was grounded on Dec 6, 1992.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, UP Governor Anandiben Patel were among those who attended the event.
A postage stamp of Rs 5 in five lakh numbers was released on the occasion.
The Ram Janmabhoomi movement got a fillip in 1990 with then BJP president L K Advani's Rath Yatra.
However, the aging Advani could not attend the grand occasion.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat said - "Hamey apne man ki Ayodhya ka sajana hae (We have to now cleanse the heart or 'ayodhya' of our inner self)"
He said the occasion of merry making certainly -- "anand ka shhaan hae".
RSS chief named L K Advani recalling his contribution in the
Temple movement and said, "he must be witnessing today's programme on television".
RSS chief also recalled the likes of Ashok Singhal.
Prime Minister Modi described the occasion as historic.
He also said the great occasion will have a global impact.
"India is today building up a golden historic chapter.....," Modi said.
"Aaj Pura Bharat Ram-Moy hae".
The guest list, including religious leaders who formed part of the movement that started in the 1980s, was restricted to 175 in view of the Corona crisis.
As a priest chanted Sanskrit shlokas' and the ground-breaking ceremony got under way under a giant marquee decorated in shades of reds and yellows, the Prime Minister and other dignitaries, all in masks, maintained social distancing and sat a safe distance away from each other.
Slogans of Bharat Mataki Jai' and Har Har Mahadev' went up as the ritual ended and the prime minister laid the foundation of the temple.
The priest kept on chanting Mantras and said it was a great occasion and also highly 'auspicious'.
"'Jai Siyaram'. This call is resonating not only in the city of Lord Ram but throughout the world today," Prime Minister said.
"I express gratitude to all citizens of this nation, Indian diaspora across the world and all the devotees of Lord Ram on today's pious occasion: PM Narendra Modi". See Less
Hindu civilisation does not allow this kind of destruction, but it happened. Finally, came the Nov 9, 2019 mandate of the Supreme Court allowing the construction of the Ram Temple fulfilling 500 years old aspiration of all Hindus - irrespective of caste, creed, linguistic or any other divisions.
At ground zero, Ayodhya - they say -- everything and everyone is 'Ram-moy' (Lost in Love for God Ram)
The 'achievement' marks a game-changer for India in more ways than one!
Will India 'move away' from the model of 'appeasement of Muslims', showing disrespect to Hinduism?
Will the new model serve India - a country of 135 plus (estimated) population with substantial Muslims and Christians - better to ensure India's rise to 'continue' ?
Perhaps, Muslims did not realise they were fighting a 'losing' battle !! And of course, the 'battered minority' community -which has a history of complicity in India's partition - were only misled by Left liberals and 'sickular' champions including the grand old Congress party. The best description of Congress intention vis-a-vis Ayodhya development lies in the words of M J Akbar, a senior journo-turned-BJP neta, who had said in 2010 --- "Congress policy on the dispute has rotated around one axis - how to get the temple built without losing the Muslim vote".
Now, it is worth analysing the 'new India' we are witnessing under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Mind you, on Jan 12, 2003, at his first rally outside Gujarat - since 2002 December Gujarat assembly polls after the riots - Modi was specific - "do not be apologetic about Hindutva'.
So the 'new India' under Modi definitely has Development facet and also - a strong pro-Hindutva element.
Of course, this brings to a good issue - how would it all span out at the global stage.
And here, it could be argued eloquently - India under Modi and wedded to 'Hindutva politics and assertive diplomacy', is all set to 'fascinate, excite and also to an extent agitate' the rest of the world.
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| Rashtrapati Bhawan |
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Congress general secretary sprang a surprise 'favouring' building up of the Ram temple
Priyanka in her statement said, "On August 5, the programme of Bhumi Pujan is scheduled, this programme with blessings of Lord Ram and his teachings should become a symbol of national unity, brotherhood and cultural amalgamation."
“The Ramayana has a deep and indelible mark on the culture of the world and the Indian subcontinent,” she said in a statement in Hindi and signed it off with salutation 'Jai Sia Ram'.
“Since ages, Lord Rama has been the thread connecting the people of India. “Sacrifice, courage and commitment are the essence of Lord Ram," said Priyanka.
In the past, Congress leaders even called Ram a 'kalpanik figure'. The party leaders felt apologetic about Shilanyas of 1986 and the then PM Manmohan Singh had said the first claim to country's resources ought to go to the 'minorities'.
BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy has, however, welcomed Priyanka Gandhi's statement but dismissed efforts by Congress to take credit for the Ram temple saying the people knew very well what was the reality.
However, the Congress complicity in the entire episode came out to the fore on different occasions.
According to book, ‘Congress after Indira’ by Zoya Hasan: "Halfway through his five-year term as prime minister, Rajiv Gandhi had faltered in most of his major initiatives. ....One of the cardinal mistakes was to get directly involved in the controversy over the role of the state in regulating the personal law of religious minorities, and that at a time when Hindutva politics were on the rise".
After his blunder with regard Shah Bano case, Rajiv sought to win over Hindus and hence inched towards Shilanyas.
The timing also turned out to be a 'blessing' for the BJP and other Sanghparivar forces who were left cornered and leaking wounds after 1984 elections - wherein the Congress had won over 400 seats in Lok Sabha polls.
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| Syed Shahbuddin & other Muslim leaders |
In my book 'Ayodhya: Battle for Peace', I had quoted 'oldest Muslim litigant' - Hashim Ansari (who expired) - who had said:
"So much has been the Congress complicity in the case right from 1949 that UP's first Chief Minister Gobind Ballabh Pant dared to ignore Jawaharlal Nehru's directives to resolve the issue by removing the idol".
Ansari further said Pant had given "free hand" to K K Nair, then district magistrate of Faizabad, who had also 'refused' to remove the idol.
Ansari told me - he had advised Pant to resolve the issue. "But Pant was a religious person".
Irony is at later stage - Pant's son KC Pant had left Congress during Rajiv Gandhi's time and later joined BJP.
ends
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