A Year Later, INDI Alliance Is Yet To Come To Terms With The Ram Temple

On 22 January 2024, the shackles were finally broken, and the consecration ceremony was held.

Invitations were sent to several thousand guests, including politicians along with their parties.

The list of politicians accepting the invitation to the Ram Mandir's opening largely aligned with ideology, with only a few notable exceptions.

Here is a snapshot of what the major political parties were thinking and saying in the lead up to 22 January 2024, what they were doing on the day, and the evolution of their stance on the matter, if any, over the past year.

The Congress

Formal invitations were sent to senior Congress leaders, including Mallikarjun Kharge, Sonia Gandhi, and Adhir Ranjan Choudhary, among others.

When they remained silent upon receiving the invitation, there was speculation that they might attend the event.

The party had to contend with internal differences. For instance, in Himachal Pradesh, leaders Vikramaditya Singh and Nirmal Khatri were in favour of attending the event, while Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu (of the Congress party) remained largely neutral.

In states like Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, and even Kashmir, various leaders, including D K Shivakumar, were not against attending the event.

However, the party’s overarching ideology prevailed ultimately, as the senior leadership skipped the event.

They said that while religion is a personal matter, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had turned it into a political one.

They also said the ceremony was being held in an incomplete temple.

On 22 January 2024, Rahul Gandhi planned to visit Batadrava Than in Nagaon, Assam.

However, the Than management committee allowed his visit only after 3 pm, as it was difficult to arrange a high-profile visit due to the unusually large number of devotees attending the consecration ceremony.

Gandhi even tried to politicise the management's decision, but it did not draw much traction.

The Congress leadership could not prevent Vikramaditya Singh and Nirmal Khatri from attending the event. The Himachal government even declared a holiday.

In Uttar Pradesh, Acharya Pramod Krishnan parted ways with the party over the issue, while many senior state leaders criticised the senior leadership for their decision.

In an explosive revelation, Krishnan later said Gandhi promised his close aides that he would overturn the Ayodhya judgement just like his father did with the Shah Bano case.

Later, many other Congress leaders, such as Supriya Shrinate, Avinash Pandey, Ajay Rai, Akhilesh Pratap Singh, Deepender Hooda, Aradhana Mishra Mona, and Radhika Khera, visited the temple without formal endorsement from the party.

Khera later left the party, revealing that she was hated for her temple visit.

As the BJP lost the Lok Sabha election in Faizabad, the Congress began to paint it as divine intervention. Gandhi claimed that his Indian National Developmental Inclusive (INDI) Alliance defeated the Ram Mandir movement initiated by Lal Krishna Advani.

In parliamentary debates, Gandhi and his colleagues intensified their rhetoric against the BJP and Hindus. The BJP opposed this rhetoric.

The Congress’ overall stance on the Ram Temple has not changed. Despite individual leaders paying visits to the temple, the senior leadership remains committed to its 'secular' image.

Samajwadi Party (SP)

SP’s stance on the Ram Mandir was confusing initially. Its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, seemed undecided, stating that he would go if invited, later saying, 'If Bhagwan Ramji calls, then I will go.'

When Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) sent an invitation to him, Akhilesh said he did not know them.

In the lead-up to the consecration ceremony, Akhilesh’s statement, “Our God is PDA — Pichhade, Dalit, and Alpasankhyak (Backwards, Dalit, and Minority),” was interpreted as a refusal to attend the event.

Oddly, however, SP offices put up hoardings showing Akhilesh offering his congratulations for the Ram Mandir's opening.

In the end, Akhilesh did what his party stands for. Preserving minority vote banks remained his and his party's top priority.

Later, when the UP Assembly decided to visit the Ram Mandir on 11 February 2024, SP stayed away, stating that its leaders would visit on their own.

However, SP attempted to balance its declining of invitations by announcing a visit to the Kedareshwar Mandir in the Etawah district.

Akhilesh himself is constructing this temple, and on 13 February 2024, SP leaders, including Yadav, his wife Dimple Yadav, Shivpal Yadav, Jaya Bachchan, Naresh Uttam Patel, Mata Prasad Paney, and Naresh Pandey, worshipped the 'Lord Shaligram Shila.'

After the worship, Akhilesh’s uncle, Shivpal Yadav, invoked the Ram Mandir and said that once the Etawah temple construction is completed, he will visit the Ram Mandir.

“When Ram went to war, he worshipped Bholenath first. So, when this Shiv temple is built in Etawah, he will go to the Ram Temple with his family,” said Akhilesh.

When the UP government introduced a motion of thanks for the Ram Mandir, 94 of the 108 SP legislative assembly members supported it and 14 opposed it.

During the election, Ram Gopal Yadav, another senior SP leader, stirred a controversy by saying the Ram Mandir was useless as it was not being properly constructed.

His stance turned more vitriolic in subsequent months, evidenced by the derogatory comments on former chief justice Dhananjay Yeshwant Chandrachud’s remarks on the Ayodhya dispute.

The appeasement politics stood the test of time during the Sambhal violence, as Ram Gopal Yadav and his party blamed the Yogi Adityanath government for it.

However, SP is slowly realising that firing on karsevaks has brought it a bad reputation in the state. Its leaders are now trying to overtly state their support for the Hindu cause while still balancing their old-school politics.

Leaders like Akhilesh and Faizabad parliamentarian Awadhesh Prasad have largely refrained from making statements against the Ram Temple.

Akhilesh maintains that he will visit the Ram Temple after the Etawah temple is constructed.

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)

Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP took unexpected turns leading up to the Ram Temple inauguration.

Even though Kejriwal refused to attend the consecration ceremony on 22 January, his party organised various events in Delhi to celebrate the occasion.

On 16 January, for instance, AAP organised Sundarkand recitals in all 70 assembly constituencies of the Union territory, with Kejriwal, his wife, and many other leaders attending the event at the Rohini temple. More than 100 markets in Delhi were decorated for the occasion.

On the auspicious day, the Delhi government announced a half-day off and organised Bhandaras, Shobha Yatras, and Ramleela programmes. Kejriwal even said that his party draws inspiration from the 10 principles of Ram Rajya.

A few weeks later, Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann, Punjab’s Chief Minister, visited the Ram Temple and offered prayers with their families. Both leaders expressed their pleasure, with Kejriwal claiming to feel an indescribable calm after the visit.

In the lead-up to the Lok Sabha election, AAP invoked Ram Rajya symbolism by launching a website named 'AAP Ka Ramrajya.'

Months later, Atishi Marlena invoked the Ramayana while taking charge temporarily as chief minister of Delhi. She compared her chief minister's seat to Bharat’s khadaun, which he held on to until Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya to take charge.

At the same time, AAP continues to endorse controversial figures like Delhi riots-accused Amanatullah Khan. Its leaders also take a strong stance against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, raising doubts about their motives behind aligning with the Ram Temple.

Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD)

Before January 2024, RJD leaders, especially Lalu Yadav, visited various temples in Bihar and Jharkhand to fend off criticism around Muslim appeasement politics.

One significant step would have been to attend the Ram Temple ceremony in Ayodhya. Lalu, however, stood firmly with the Congress in its stance of staying away from the Ram Temple.

While Lalu refrained from criticising the temple, his party leaders competed to make the more explosive statement.

Fateh Bahadur Singh, an RJD member of legislative assembly (MLA), erected a poster saying the temple is a path to mental slavery. The poster was put up outside the Yadav family’s home and also featured images of Lalu, his wife Rabri Devi, and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav.

This incident caused an intra-alliance stir with Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)), as both parties were part of the INDI Alliance.

Chandrashekhar, then education minister of the state, defended Fateh Bahadur Singh by calling the Ram Temple a site of exploitation to fill pockets.

This sentiment was echoed by Jagadanand Singh, RJD state president, who said the temple was being constructed on the land of hate. He added that his party does not believe in 'Jai Shree Ram' and instead advocated 'Hey Ram.'

Ajay Yadav, another RJD MLA from Atri, Gaya, accused the BJP of plotting a bomb blast in Ayodhya to defame Pakistan and Muslims. He also accused Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi of using taxpayer money to construct the Ram Temple for applause.

Tejashwi stayed away from the Ram Temple topic, stating that people need hospitals more than temples. He added that if someone was hungry, they should not go to a temple, as temples would demand donations instead of providing food.

During the election, Lalu’s daughter Misa Bharti promised that her father would visit the temple after the election, but that is yet to happen.

Meanwhile, the party is losing its command over the Muslim vote, which is why its leaders continue to make inflammatory statements against the Ram Temple.

Trinamool Congress (TMC)

TMC and its chief Mamata Banerjee went about their minority appeasement politics leading up to and after the consecration of the Ram Temple.

Like most of her INDI Alliance partners, Banerjee refused to attend the event on account of 'secularism.' She said the consecration ceremony excluded other communities and symbolised religious discrimination, which she said she would not tolerate.

Banerjee also invoked women’s empowerment as a reason for not attending the event, stating that Goddess Sita was not celebrated on 22 January 2024.

Her nephew Abhishek Banerjee refused to accept the Ram Temple as a place of worship, stating that his religion does not teach him to accept a place of worship built on hatred and violence.

The same Banerjee changed his stance when the BJP lost the Faizabad seat, claiming it was divine justice. “When Prabhu Ram arrived, justice was delivered,” said Abhishek.

Satabdi Roy, another TMC leader, said Lord Ram 'must be BPL (below poverty line (BPL).' "Just as houses are made for those with BPL cards, it seems they (BJP) are giving the house to Ram under the BPL scheme,” he said.

On the day of the consecration, TMC held an all-faith sampriti (harmony) rally. Banerjee visited a Kali temple, a gurdwara, a church, and a mosque while leading the rally, which culminated in the Muslim-dominated Park Circus area.

Muslim clerics, Sikh priests, and a few unknown saffron-clad priests joined the rally. They marched behind the Bengal Chief Minister. Meanwhile, the BJP accused TMC of trying to prevent people from participating in the Ram Temple-related celebratory events. Mamata’s rally, however, could not entirely dampen Bengal’s enthusiasm for the ceremony.

During campaigns for the Lok Sabha election, MLA Ramendu Sinha Roy called the temple a showpiece and unholy. Shatrughan Sinha, another prominent party member, claimed that temple visitor numbers had fallen.

Notably, in response to the BJP announcing a Ram Temple in Berhampur, TMC MLA Humayun Kabir proposed setting up a mosque modelled after Babri in the same district.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)

Despite Shivsainiks' legacy of participating in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Bal Thackeray’s son chose to abide by coalition compulsions and skipped the consecration ceremony. Instead, he performed the maha aarti at Kalaram Temple in the Panchvati area of Nashik.

It is believed that Lord Rama stayed in Panchvati during his exile. The temple is also known for Ambedkar’s protest for allowing Dalits to enter in 1930.

Thackeray also invited President Draupadi Murmu for the aarti.

While BJP leaders paid homage to Bal Thackeray, Uddhav sat with those who opposed the Ram Temple movement in its formative years. He always tried to divert attention away from the Ram Mandir when it came up.

The appeasement policy did not work, and by the end of the year, Uddhav was standing on weak ground. His Hindutva base was eroding due to his 'secular' approach, while consolidating a new vote bank was getting harder.

Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)

Months before the event, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin had compared Sanatana Dharma to a disease. The media coverage and public outcry over his remark helped expose the toxicity of Dravidianism to the rest of India.

In the lead up to 22 January 2024, Udhayanidhi was expected to say something worse. He did oppose the temple, but in hushed tones. He said the DMK does not oppose the temple but is just not in agreement with the way the temple was built after the destruction of the Babri Mosque at the site.

According to Stalin, the DMK was not officially invited for the occasion but that his mother Durga Stalin, a believer, was.

Other regional parties, like the Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar, or NCP (SP), and the Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP), toed the typical line of the temple being at odds with secularism.

Barring rare individual efforts on the part of a few party members, a concerted effort from the INDI Alliance was missing.