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.