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Ayodhya's Voice

By Asghar Ali Engineer

Centre for Study of Society and Secularism
09 October , 2003

I visited Ayodhya recently along with the Magasaysay awardee Mr. Sandeep Panday who has been working here for quite sometime to bring peace to this strife torn town. It is so interesting to talk to people of this place. I had to hold a workshop on communal harmony for Ayodhya and Faizabad towns and Sandeep was helping us in this connection. We met a cross section of people to hear their voice.

The country hears only the voice of Sangh Parivar and their most aggressive members like Singhal and Togadia. The media also has no time to project the voice of people of Ayodhya. Perhaps it does not sell. What sells is the powerful voice of Sangh Parivar and this Parivar has convinced the world that it is most authentic voice of 800 million Hindus of this country.

The communal forces always tend to homogenise the whole community as if millions of people belonging to a community speak one voice and surrender their minds and bodies to one individual or one party or one clique of persons. It is this one individual or party or group which takes all decisions and others simply endorse it. No dissent is ever tolerated. It is violently suppressed if it ever raises its voice. Before partition Jinnah also projected himself as the sole representative of Indian Muslims. All others had to endorse his decisions.

The Sangh Parivar always maintains that all Hindus want to build the Ram temple at Ayodhya and that it is historical fact that a temple stood there and Babar demolished it and build a mosque in its place. It is a 'proven fact' and no one can question it. And the one who does, is an 'enemy of Hinduism'. The communalists have sole right to understand and interpret history.

It is miracle of modern day propaganda through media that has converted a non-existent problem into the most potent problem. What did not exist has not only become a powerful problem but has also become the cause of killing of thousands of innocent people across India. It was on account of Ramjanambhoomi-Babri Masjid problem that 59 people were set afire in Sabarmati Express in Godhra on 27 February 2001 and more than one thousand people killed most cruelly in retaliatory act in Gujarat from 28th February onwards and continued for more than six months.

And it was on account of this non-existent problem that BJP rode to power though it had repeatedly failed to do so before. Shri L.K. Advani's rath yatra in 1990 failed to lead to Ayodhya as planned but did lead to Delhi as intended. The rath may not reach Ayodhya in near future but it does help retaining Delhi. The raths in medieval period helped win wars so the modern Toyota rath led the BJP to power in Delhi.

The people of Ayodhya know this better than anyone else. They have paid heavy price for it and still continue to pay. And they have been as helpless so far as other people of India have been. They have silently borne the brunt of Sangh Parivar's aggression for years. They are, it seems, no longer prepared to do so. Every time the VHP leaders announce their programme of 'kar seva' or sant yatra or Ram Lalla darshan the people of Ayodhya have to shut their shops. Lakhs invade the town disturbing their normalcy and often inviting prolonged curfews. Every citizen of Ayodhya shudders to think of VHP programmes in their town.

Now again the VHP has announced its programme in Ayodhya on 17th October. Lakhs of 'Rambhakts' once again will march to that town for 'Ram Lalla Darshan'. Everyone I met in Ayodhya told me that every time election is announced the VHP tries to organise its show in Ayodhya as if this is the only way for BJP to win elections. It is people of Ayodhya who pay price for the election anywhere in India. The BJP perhaps knows no other way of winning the election.

We met Mahant Gyandas who is chief Mahant of Hanuman Garhi temple which is one of the most significant shrines of Ayodhya. The Mahant was sitting surrounded by his followers. It is important to note that the land for Hanuman Garhi temple was donated by the Nawab of Avadh and the temple was built by one of his Nawab's Hindu courtier.

I asked the Mahant whether he would like Ramjanambhoomi temple to be built at the site of Babri Masjid. Gyandas told me the temple can be built only when Hindus and Muslims come together to build the temple. Hindu-Muslim unity is more important than the temple. If they cannot agree to build the temple let us wait for court's verdict. It cannot be built by shedding human blood.

When Gynadasji was saying this I was reminded of Maulana Azad's presidential address at the Ramgarh session of AICC. Maulana had said in his presidential address that even if an angel descended from heaven and declared that I have brought the gift of India's freedom from heaven, I would refuse to accept it until Hindu-Muslim unity is achieved. For, if India does not get freedom it is India's loss but if Hindu-Muslim unity is not achieved, it is humanity's loss.

The Hanuman Garhi's Mahant was also making almost similar point. If the temple is to built it is Sangh Parivar's loss but if Hindu-Muslim unity is disturbed it is entire country's loss as well as loss for whole humanity. But who cares if humanity suffers as long as the Sangh Parivar can come to power. Mahant Gyandasji is against VHP and considers it as anti-Hindu. VHP, he tells me, has no right to talk in the name of Hindus. Hindus have not elected them to represent them or to build Ramjanambhoomi temple in their name. He also said that those who tore open the stomach of a pregnant woman and threw the foetus into the fire cannot even qualify as Hindus, let alone building a temple in the sacred city of Ayodhya in their name.

Sandeep had also convened the meeting of many other Mahants and some citizens of Ayodhya who have constituted an organisation called Ayodhya ki Awaz (Voice of Ayodhya). The Mahants and other people of Ayodhya have floated this organisation in order to fight the VHP plan to convert Ayodhya into a battle ground for their war for power. They have suffered silently so far but can bear it no longer and have decided to fight it out peacefully and democratically. Ayodhya ki Awaz has now become voice of all peace loving people of Ayodhya.

The meeting was attended by some important Mahants of Ayodhya like Mahant Bhawnath Das who was also Sarpanch of Hanuman Garhi and is president of Samajwadi Sant Sabha. He presided over the meeting. Jugal Kishore Shashtri also took part in the meeting who is convenor of Ayodhya ki Awaz and also edits the weekly paper Ramjanambhoomi. He counters the VHP propaganda through his paper. Shri Shashtri is quite vocal and committed to maintaining peace in Ayodhya.

Another Mahant Madhuwan Das, a Mahant associated with Hanuman Garhi and who is also a corporator from Ramjanambhoomi ward was also present in the meeting. Mahant Girish Tripathi who has done his M.A. in political science from JNU also took part in the meeting. Badal Acharya who is son of Chief Mahant of Dant Dhawan Kund and is preparing to take over as Mahant himself and Rangesh Achari son of Rajsabha Mandir too came for the meeting. One Sadiq Ali, an activist who repeatedly suffered in Ayodhya is also actively associated with this organisation and was present in the meeting.

In his introductory remarks Bhawnath Das said that it was high time that we fought against those who go to the extent of setting fire to the Sabarmati compartment killing scores of innocent Hindus in order to organise carnage of Muslims so that they can win the elections in Gujarat. They would like to convert whole India into Gujarat, if they could. Now we must show courage and fight the VHP menace.

A concrete programme was chalked out for facing the situation on 17th October when the VHP is again trying to bring lakhs of its supporters to Ayodhya. All Mahants present in the meeting felt that since elections have been announced in the four states the VHP is again staging this drama and it should not get away with it every time. Everyone present felt that this committee should demand ban on the entry of outsiders like Singhal and Togadia and a memorandum to be submitted to the chief minister of U.P. to this effect. There was some difference of opinion whether they should demand ban on entry of so-called Rambhaktas. It was suggested that those who want to come for genuine Ram Lalla darshan should come in groups of four or five. However, Jugalkishore Shashtri was of the opinion that those brought by VHP should not be allowed to enter Ayodhya at all on 17th October.

It was also decided to stage a peaceful dharna at the Gandhi statue in Ayodhya on 2nd October to highlight these demands. The members of working committee and some others should take part in this dharna. It was also decided that citizens of Ayodhya should resist entry of VHP supporters on 17th October and one person from every house in Ayodhya should take part in it. Suitable pamphlets and stickers would be published for mobilising the people of Ayodhya.

It is indeed heartening that many Mahants and other people of Ayodhya are girding up their lions to fight the VHP campaign, which has nothing to do with building Ramjanambhoomi temple but only to keep alive this controversy for political purposes. The voiceless people of Ayodhya who have suffered for so long are now giving themselves an effective voice. The Mahants have also decided not to sit it out silently. They are preparing to throw gauntlet to the VHP at last.

 

 

 

 

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