Modi’s temple plan

The Modi government is moving ahead with its scheme to build a grand temple at the site of the Babri mosque which was razed by Hindu radicals over thirty years ago. This will be a step towards implementing the fascist Hindutva ideology impeding regional peace and tranquility.

The Indian prime minister made an announcement in parliament that a trust has been set up to build the contested ‘Ram Mandir’ in Ayodhya at the site of the razed mosque. In November, the Indian Supreme Court ruled that the land should be managed by a trust to oversee the construction of the temple. The Muslims were offered an alternate piece of land for the mosque which has been approved.

The razing of the centuries-old mosque had unleashed some of the worst sectarian riots in which more than 2000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed. This violence led to the rise of the BJP as a political force that unleashed even more atrocities with Modi as the chief minister of Gujrat.

The BJP won the general election last year but has lost a string of general elections since then. The next contest would be in the strategic Delhi state which has seen massive protests for the past month over the contentious Citizenship Amendment Act. The party might resort to violence once again to secure a victory in the elections, while it continues to erode the secular Indian constitution.

BJP is not expected to do well in the state elections and is relying on Modi’s personal appeal to attract a crowd base. There has been tension and three incidents of gunfire by BJP sympathisers near a protest site in New Delhi. The nationwide protests have already claimed the loss of 25 lives, which have reinforced the communal fault lines but could also help secure more votes in the Indian capital.

The Indian government has long been passing discriminatory laws and policies while the prejudice against Muslims is at its height. The radical chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath has said that Muslims have not done India any favours by staying behind during partition. The statement gives a glimpse of BJP’s greater ambition to wipe out minorities and declare India a Hindu state. Volumes can be written on the atrocities while democratic freedoms remain under threat.