Millions of Hindus will wake up at the crack of dawn this Saturday, five days before the start of India’s general election, and march to nearby temples to chant a sacred hymn and renew a pledge to build a Ram temple on the ruins of the 16th-century Babri mosque.
Hardline Hindu allies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) say they will mobilise more than 10 million people on April 6 – the start of the Hindu New Year – to shore up support for the contentious plan to build the temple in Ayodhya.
But while the event will keep the focus on a core demand of Hindu nationalists, it will not overtly be part of the BJP’s election campaign, signalling a softer approach by the ruling party, multiple sources familiar with discussions said.
The commitment to construct a grand Ram temple in Ayodhya has been part of the BJP’s election manifesto since the 1990s and has helped the party garner Hindu votes in elections since then.
However, the BJP and its allies are concerned that focusing on the temple issue could be too hot to handle, especially since it is now the party in power. It could worsen communal tensions and trigger religious riots in the country, said a senior BJP leader.
“We cannot underestimate the power of Hindu fringe groups, and it’s best not to ignite these issues,” said a BJP leader who is overseeing the party’s election strategy.
The BJP leader and two other senior party members, two central ministers and four members of hardline Hindu groups, who didn’t wish to be identified due to the sensitivity of the issue, said they reached a consensus to fold the temple issue into a broader religious and cultural discourse, without being too vocal about it.
Following a meeting between senior religious leaders and BJP politicians in January, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) or the World Hindu Council, which is leading the movement for building the Ayodhya temple, put its agitation on hold in February.
Details of the meeting have not been published previously.
The VHP, which shares ideological ties with the BJP, would renew its demand only after the general election, its leaders said.
“While we remain committed to the cause that is so close to the hearts of Hindus, we’re unanimous in our view that it’s not the right time to amplify the temple issue,” said Alok Kumar, international working president of the VHP. “Politicization leads to controversies.”
HINDU-MUSLIM RIOTS
The VHP has distributed pamphlets and issued appeals on social media to participate in a chanting ceremony aimed at renewing the pledge to build the temple on the spot where many Hindus believe Ram was born, where the mosque stood.
Sanjay Mayukh, a BJP spokesman in New Delhi, declined comment on the April 6 event being organised by the VHP.
“We wish them (VHP) a success and we will celebrate the Hindu New Year too,” said Mayukh.
A militant Hindu mob tore down the Babri mosque in 1992, sparking riots that killed about 2,000 people in one of the worst instances of sectarian violence in India since independence in 1947.
The mosque, built in 1528, has been one of the prime causes of conflict between India’s majority Hindus and minority Muslims, who constitute 14 percent of the country’s 1.3 billion people.
The Supreme Court is now in control of the site in Uttar Pradesh and has been weighing petitions from both communities on what should be built there.
In March, the court appointed an arbitration panel to mediate in the dispute. Its verdict is yet to come.
BJP election candidates confirmed they are avoiding the temple issue in their campaigns.
Former government minister and BJP lawmaker Sanjeev Baliyan, who is contesting the election from a constituency in Uttar Pradesh, said he has instructed supporters to “refrain from using the Ayodhya issue in any political rally.”
At least 65 people were killed in clashes between Hindus and Muslims in Baliyan’s constituency in 2013.
