On 18 December, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra (Ram Temple Trust) general secretary Champat Rai stoked controversy by saying that Advani and Joshi had been “requested” to not attend the consecration ceremony of the temple in Ayodhya next month, keeping their advanced age and health conditions in mind.
Speaking to the media, Rai had said, “Both [Advani and Joshi] are elders of the family and considering their age, they were requested not to come, which was accepted by both.”
Following backlash from the BJP cadre, Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) president Alok Sharma, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) joint general secretary Krishna Gopal and communication head Ramlal, met the leaders the next day to invite them to the Ayodhya event. Both Advani (96) and Joshi (who turns 90 next month) have expressed their intent to be present.
Speaking to ThePrint, BJP’s Ayodhya MP, Lallu Singh said, “Champat Rai is a straightforward man. He speaks whatever is in his mind. His words were taken out of context. The trust was only concerned about their [Advani and Joshi’s] health.”
But sources within the BJP’s Ayodhya unit feel the subsequent invitation to Advani and Joshi was “an attempt to cover up the fallout of Champat Rai’s statement”.
“The Ram Temple Trust and the BJP thought that people have forgotten Advani and Joshi and their contributions. This entire episode was a reminder that you [BJP and the trust] may sideline them, but people won’t forget,” said a BJP leader’s aide.
Advani, India’s former deputy Prime Minister, had been a key figure in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that had culminated in the demolition of the Babri Masjid on 6 December 1992. In 1990, he had embarked on the Ram Rath Yatra from Somnath in Gujarat to Ayodhya to press for his party’s demand for the temple on the disputed site where the mosque had stood.
Joshi had been the BJP president when the masjid was demolished.
“It was [Advani’s] rath yatra that transformed the BJP, reshaped Indian politics and heralded a new era for India,” said a priest, clutching a bag with the words ‘Shree Ram’ on it.
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‘Make arrangements for participation’
Meanwhile, the flip-flop over inviting the two leaders has raised eyebrows among the priests, the karsevaks [those who offer their services for free for a religious cause], and even the BJP cadre in Ayodhya.
“The Ram temple was a seed sown by Advani and Joshi that has now come to fruition. Without them, the temple building was impossible. To say that they should refrain from coming is absolutely disrespectful,” said mahant Maharaj Harisharan.
He added: “Ignoring those who gave everything for the construction of Ram Mandir is a warning sign. We must not ignore it.”
A second priest in this temple town, mahant Vishnu Das, said, “We know that they [Advani and Joshi] are old, but who are we to decide whether they should come or not? The Ram Temple Trust should have invited them and left it to them and their families to decide.”
Priests at various maths [monasteries] in Ayodhya said that proper arrangements should be made for the veteran leaders’ presence, instead of using their age as an excuse to not invite them.
Near the town’s iconic Hanuman Garhi temple, mahant Ram Das said, “The Ram Janmabhoomi trust and Yogi ji [Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath] should make proper arrangements for Advani ji so that he can attend the inauguration.”
“It’s our duty,” he stressed.
A karsevak, who claimed to have been part of the mob that had demolished Babri Masjid accused the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre of sidelining Advani, adding that even during the Ram Janambhoomi Poojan in 2020, Advani had not been invited.
“This is unfair. Modi and Yogi himself should go and invite Advani, not only as a BJP leader but as a sevak who made an immense contribution to the temple building,” he said requesting anonymity.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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