Uttar Pradesh: Ayodhya opens up about peace and note bandi

In every election season in Uttar Pradesh, the twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad see a flurry of activity. News channels, reporters, politicians all converge on the temple town which witnessed the cataclysmic fall of the Babri Masjid in 1992, an event that changed Indian politics forever. The interest is heightened because Ayodhya-Faizabad can spring an electoral surprise, or two.

I met with Haji Mehboob Ali, a member of the All India Babri Masjid Action Committee, at his office. He seemed agitated. “This is not Gujarat, this is Ayodhya. A Prime Minister of the country making a polarising speech and dividing communities is unprecedented and deplorable. People have lived here in peace for centuries!” Pointing out to a couple of people sitting with him he says “Yeh hamare Hindu bhai hain, barson ka saath aur dosti hai! (these are my Hindu brothers; we have been close friends for years). The fact that I am a litigant in the Babri Masjid case does not come in way of our friendship.”

Ali says he would be happiest if the court order is honoured and both the masjid and a temple is built, because he says this will bring revenue and tourists. But he alleges RSS and BJP do not want to resolve the issue as they harvest votes from it every election. “Dialogue is the only way to resolve this issue. Leave it to the people of Ayodhya, we will resolve it” he says.

Septuagenarian Jagdish Das, principal of Roopkala Sanskrit Vidyapeeth who has lived in Ayodhya all his life says “Jo dharm ki raksha kare vote usko jaana chahiye (vote should go to those who protect religion).” In the same breath he adds “Jo bina bhed bhaav ke sabko lekar chale woh dharm ka rakshak hai! (The one who protects religion is the one who takes everyone along without discriminating.)”

Municipal worker Ashok Mishra echoes “Hamara desh sarv dharma samuday hai…baantne ki rajniti achchi nahi (It is an inclusive country; Divisive politics is not good).”

Near the Hanumangarhi temple, mandir-masjid politics was not on Mastram’s mind. “In Faizabad-Ayodhya, after more than 100 days of demonetisation, only 35-40% ATMs have money. Paise ki bahut dikkat hai, chote vyapari ka bahut nuksaan hua hai (Money is a big problem; small traders have faced big losses)” he says, at his pooja items and souvenirs shop which was devoid of customers.

Ram Kumar Mishra, a coal chemist posted in the area, joined in. “When demonetisation happened, an annual mela (fair) was in progress in Ayodhya. The small shopkeepers who had travelled from villages were on the verge of starvation. We pooled in money to send them home. Business has come to a standstill. And instead of coming clean on demonetisation, the Prime Minister is talking about meaningless issues like shamshaan (cremation ground) and kabristan (graveyard).” Mishra said he would support the Samajwadi candidate Pawan Pandey, saying that the SP had brought some development and should be given another chance. He added that what Ayodhya needed was cinema halls, parks for entertainment and decent hotels to facilitate tourism. But locals beside the Sarayu ghats said they feel no one is willing to invest in such tourism infrastructure in Ayodhya till the dispute over the Ram Mandir is resolved.

The BJP candidate Ved Prakash Gupta may have an uphill task before him, as besides note bandi woes, some consider him to be a political turncoat. He has earlier contested and lost on both Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party tickets. More worrying for Gupta, an Adhikar Party candidate Sushil Jaiswal, believed to have considerable clout in the Vyapar Mandal, may cut into BJP’s votebank. But he will get his share of votes from some in Ayodhya who told me they would vote for BJP because it protects Hindu interests.

The SP has been loudly saying that BSP will form a coalition with BJP after the elections. Ayodhya’s BSP candidate Mohd Bazmi however vehemently dismisses the suggestion. “We will never align with anti-Dalit fascist forces. We are taking along with us all communities and not just Dalits and Muslims,” he says. Bazmi is sure to pick up votes of those in Ayodhya who told me they would give their vote to BSP chief Mayawati because she built houses for them.

Ayodhya votes in the fifth phase on February 27.