Opposition on edge over ‘Bhumi Pujan’ at Ayodhya

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 27

The Bhumi Pujan ceremony in Ayodhya on August 5 for the construction of Ram temple has put the opposition parties at the Centre on edge.

Their apprehension is that the ceremony per se, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi taking part in it will give a political mileage to the BJP and its fraternal constituents of the ‘Sangh Parivar’.

The Ram temple has over the years emerged as a crucial political matrix and a flashpoint in which political parties of all hues have a strong view, either which way.

Meanwhile, modality for the proposed ceremony has driven a deep wedge between Shiv Sena, which was once a strident face of Hindutva, and other constituents of the Saffron camp.

Shiv Sena is part of the Opposition camp after it joined hands with NCP and the Congress to form government in Maharashtra; breaking its age-old alliance with the BJP.

Sri Ram Temple Teerath Kshetra Trust and others have out rightly dismissed Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s suggestion, last week, that the ceremony be conducted virtually (through video conference) in view of the Covid pandemic.

Thackeray’s suggestion has ruffled feathers among the votaries of the Ram temple construction, especially as it was on the heels of NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s jibe that attention presently should be on fighting the Covid than construction of a temple.

Sources in the know about the developments relating to temple construction said that the differences between Shiv Sena and constituents of Sangh Parivar had run deep and would be difficult to abridge, especially after Thackeray’s stand on the Bhumi Pujan ceremony.

There are heart-burns against Thackeray-led government also on alleged tardy progress in the investigation of lynching to death of two seers at Palghar.

VHP working president Alok Kumar on Monday said: “We are concerned at the statement of Uddhav Thackeray suggesting that the Bhumi Pujan should be performed via video-conferencing.”

“The statement of Uddhav Thackeray only shows his blind opposition and we do mourn such a fall of what once was a Hindutava party led by the legendary Bala Sahab Thackeray.”

“Bhumi Pujan is an essential and sacred ritual. Before starting any construction work we worship the Mother Earth, seek her permission to dig and construct structures and obtain her blessings for the mission which cannot be done through video-conference,” Kumar added.

Meanwhile, CPI parliamentary group leader Binoy Viswam on Monday wrote a letter to Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar asking him not to allow use of the national broadcaster, Doordarshan, to broadcast the religious function at Ayodhya on August 5.