Bhagwat’s speech in Nagpur: BJP & RSS all set for Ram temple movement-2

It’s back to basics for the Sangh parivar as no less than RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat himself instructed the Modi government to bring a law to construct Ram temple in Ayodhya while delivering his customary Dussehra speech at Nagpur on October 18. Bhagwat, without mincing words, declared: “The construction of the temple is necessary from self-esteemed point of view. This matter of national interest is being obstructed by some fundamentalist elements and forces that play communal politics… The government should clear the way for the construction of the grand temple through appropriate and requisite law.”

Bhagwat’s speech, barely few months before 2019 parliamentary elections, is a clear signal that construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya will be the primary poll issue in the next round of polls. The RSS Chief has given clear direction to the Modi government to bring a legislation for the construction of the Ram temple. It’s quite evident that the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah will now put all its might around the temple issue. All other Sangh affiliates like the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Sant Samaj etc. will rally round the issue of the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The BJP, in other words, is now getting ready to contest elections on hard Hindutva politics as indicated by Mohan Bhagwat himself.

There are clear reasons for both the RSS and the BJP to get back to the blatantly divisive Hindutva plank. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already lost the shimmer of his development promises with virtually zero delivery on his tall 2014 election promises like two crore jobs annually, 15 lakh rupees in every bank account, economy with miraculous leap leaving China far behind, India turning into another glitzy Dubai like country with smart cities dotted around etc.

Instead, the country is an economic mess with rupee sliding against dollar like never -before, oil prices about to touch ₹100 per litre, both export and import showing down ward trend, jobs becoming increasingly far and few, farming crisis pushing farmers onto the streets. No segment of society seems to have gained from these four years of Modi’s misgovernance. Even Modi supporters in the middle classes recently suffered huge losses in share markets slump.

The only way out is to get back to hard Hindutva playing the Ram card with all might to let common Hindus forget Modi’s misgovernance and vote the BJP back to power for fulfilling their ‘centuries old dream of a Ram temple at Lord Rama’s birth-site in Ayodhya’.

How to go about it? The entire Sangh parivar, including the BJP, has already prepared a blueprint for the Ram temple movement 2. Its first indication came last month when RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat addressed sants in Haridwar where he said that sant samaj must work now to build Ram temple at Ayodhya. It was followed by a VHP meeting of Sant Samiti on October 5 in Delhi where the Samiti declared that the Hindus can no longer wait for the Supreme Court judgment on this issue. It was, therefore, time for the Modi government to bring a law to build the temple. And now the RSS chief has come out in full support of law for the temple.

Those who have witnessed Ram temple movement-1 clearly remember the strategy of how an entire environment for divisive politics based on Hindutva and centred on Ram temple is created. The initial job of building religious atmospherics around Ram temple is done by the VHP under sants’ command. The VHP with sants’ backing has already entered the scene with its last meeting held on October 5. The VHP will build atmosphere till Kumbh Mela to be held in Allahabad (by then rechristened as Prayagraj) in January 2019 where the Modi government will be asked to bring a legislation for the construction of Ram temple.

Now, Narendra Modi possibly will don the role of Hindu Hirday Samrat and will go to the people seeking 2/3rd majority for his party to introduce legislation in parliament for building Ram temple at Ayodhya. The government may convene special session of parliament first to push the opposition on back foot on this issue. BJP President Amit Shah has already declared that ‘’even opposition parties cannot openly oppose a Ram temple”. If the opposition hesitates, the road will be open for Modi to take to streets for the sake of the temple and transform himself into Hindu hirday Samrat, a role he plays with finesse since Gujarat riots in 2002.

The RSS and the BJP are ready to roll its electoral juggernaut around Ram temple issue. It’s now for the opposition to work-out its counter strategy before it’s too late.