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Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar recently drew attention to the historical context of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, invoking the tenure of late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Pawar highlighted that the ‘shilanyas’ or foundation stone-laying ceremony for the temple occurred during Rajiv Gandhi’s leadership.
Expressing his thoughts on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 11-day fast before the consecration ceremony, Pawar acknowledged Modi’s faith in Lord Ram but suggested that fasting for poverty eradication would have garnered more widespread appreciation.
Pawar delved into the political past, noting that it was Rajiv Gandhi’s government in 1985 that decided to open the locks of the Babri Masjid. This move was perceived by many as an attempt by the Congress to manage communal equations after the Supreme Court’s Shah Bano verdict had been overruled by the ruling government.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders were granted permission on November 9, 1989, to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in Ayodhya. According to reports, discussions between then Union Home Minister Buta Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Narain Dutt Tiwari, and VHP leaders preceded the Rajiv Gandhi government’s approval for the ceremony.
Despite these efforts, the Congress did not achieve its intended balance, as the VHP intensified the Ram temple movement. The BJP, under Lal Krishna Advani, initiated a Rath Yatra in 1990 from Somnath in Gujarat with the goal of constructing the temple in Ayodhya. While Advani’s campaign was halted by his arrest in Bihar on orders from then Chief Minister Lalu Prasad, the Ram Janmabhoomi movement significantly boosted the BJP’s electoral success.
In 2019, the Supreme Court cleared the path for the construction of the Ram temple on 2.77 acres of land in Ayodhya, where the Babri mosque stood until December 6, 1992. Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the ‘bhumi pujan’ for the newly constructed temple on August 5, 2020.
