New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — along with its ideological fountainhead, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), and right-wing affiliate Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) — is preparing for the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya on 22 January.
The temple will open with the pran pratishtha, or consecration, of the idol of Ram Lalla, followed by a host of ceremonial events that BJP leaders believe will lead to a kind of cultural renaissance under the Modi government for India’s majority Hindu population, and prepare the groundswell of sentiment needed to win the general elections later in 2024.
Ayodhya has been the epicentre of Hindutva politics ever since the Sangh Parivar launched the Ram temple agitation in the 1980s.
Initiatives by the BJP-led central government in the wake of and after the inauguration ceremony include asking state units to prepare for free visit of devotees to the Ram Mandir (a promise made by the BJP in several state manifestos), installation of a toll-free number for registration of devotees for darshan, mobilisation of more than 10 crore people, chartered trains for darshan of Ram Lalla, plans for a massive tent city as part of ‘Ayodhya Chalo Abhiyaan’, social media outreach and live telecast of events.
Speaking to ThePrint, a senior BJP leader said: “Every state has been asked to mobilise cadres to celebrate the Ram Mandir’s inauguration as a symbol of the end of slavery of Hindus. It will also symbolise a cultural renaissance under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi.”
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