New Delhi: The BJP plans to build an army of at least 5,000 “temple influencers” in every Lok Sabha constituency ahead of the 2024 general election by getting them to offer puja at the Ayodhya Ram Mandir and acquainting them with the history of the agitation for its construction.
The temple is set to be inaugurated on 22 January.
A BJP leader told ThePrint that upon returning to their villages and towns after visiting Ayodhya, these workers, whose names will be drawn up by the party’s MLAs and MPs, will “amplify the story” behind the construction of the temple and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Further, the ruling party plans to facilitate ‘darshan’ of at least 2.5 crore people from 543 Lok Sabha constituencies across the country in the next three months beginning 23 January.
This is part of the BJP’s plan to consolidate the Hindu votes ahead of the all-important general elections.
“The inauguration of the Ram Temple is not a simple event for Hindus, as such an event happens only in hundreds and thousands of years. It’s a life-changing event, and the party will make people aware of its religious importance. Not only people will be sensitised to hold celebrations in every village, but people visiting Ayodhya will share their experience (as well),” BJP MP Pradeep Choudhary told ThePrint.
The meeting of BJP central office-bearers last Friday and Saturday in Delhi discussed the entire plan of making temple inauguration a big success and make outreach across the country for next two months by deploying all mediums of communication.
BJP Balrampur district president Pradeep Singh told ThePrint that a list of invitees for the temple inauguration has been prepared for the event in Ayodhya. “Balrampur is the district where former prime minister (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee fought his first Lok Sabha election in 1957,” he added.
The who’s who of sports, film, and corporate world, including Sachin Tendulkar, Amitabh Bachhan, Madhuri Dixit, and Mukesh Ambani, were invited for the inaugural ceremony, according to sources in the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP).
“But the real test is to involve the common man in the inauguration ceremony. … For this, the VHP and the RSS is holding a door-to-door campaign for 15 days from January to invite the people to celebrate the Ram temple inauguration at their temples by lighting ‘diyas (lamps)’ and holding ‘bhajans (devotional songs)’ on 22 January. Both organisations have targeted to reach 10 crore people,” one of the sources said.
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‘Memorial for Ram sevaks who scarified lives’
It is not just an airport and other massive infrastructure in Ayodhya that are in the pipeline for Hindutva’s landmark project. In Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced plans to erect a memorial in Ayodhya to honour the memory of Ram followers, including the Kothari brothers, who dedicated their lives to the vision of the grand temple.
“Every devotee of Lord Ram, including the Kothari brothers, who sacrificed their lives for the Ram Mandir, will be honoured with utmost respect. A memorial will be erected in Ayodhya to commemorate their devotion, and their names will be inscribed upon,” he announced in a Doordarshan news interview.
Referring to this episode, a BJP functionary highlighted how the then chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav Mulayam Singh Yadav had ordered the police to open fire at karsevaks in Ayodhya in 1990.
“Sixteen karsevaks were killed as per official record but the toll was much more… The Kothari brothers from Kolkata were among those killed. Since the Samajwadi Party has a big stake in Uttar Pradesh politics, the people should know what Mulayam did with karsevaks. Like a memorial for Partition victims, the BJP government plans to make a memorial to remember the people who sacrificed their lives,” the BJP functionary added.
The spectacle is expected to help the BJP bridge the caste conflict it is embroiled in several states, and which is threatening to disrupt its well-laid plans to consolidate the Hindutva vote.
“After 22 January, families of more than one karsevaks and people associated with the temple struggle will visit Ayodhya. In five lakh temples, the ‘pran pratishtha (consecration)’ will be celebrated and telecast live. Dates will also be given to states to arrange visits of devotees,” VHP international working president Alok Kumar told ThePrint.
As many as 10 crore people will be mobilised between 1 and 15 January via ‘akshat (rice)’ invitations, Kumar said, adding that ‘akshat’ with a picture of Lord Ram and an informative leaflet will be distributed to people who will also be requested to light ‘diyas’ on 22 January and celebrate the temple inauguration.
The BJP unit in Chhattisgarh, where Ram is believed to have spent several years of his exile, is facilitating the visit under its Ramlala Darshan scheme, while the Madhya Pradesh government already has the CM Teerth Darshan Yojana in place.
“In Madhya Pradesh, the BJP already has a Teerth Darshan scheme but temple inauguration can be a big booster for the party in mobilising people,” a senior state leader told ThePrint.
A central BJP leader argued that the inauguration of Ram temple is not just ideological commitments like the abrogation of Article 370 and the Uniform Civil Code, but it’s also reflection of Modi’s guarantees.
“The party will highlight during the Lok Sabha campaign that Modi delivered what he promised — be it Covid vaccines, or free foodgrains to 80 crore people, or Kisan Samman Nidhi, or making India the third largest economy in the next tenure,” the BJP leader asserted.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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