By Akhilesh Kapoor / Ayodhya
There is an unsettling calm in the lanes and bylanes of Ayodhya. Less than twenty four hours before the chaurasi kos yatra – the religious procession which has pitched the state government against the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) – the holy town is far emptier than expected on a Saturday.
The Uttar Pradesh government has denied the right-wing organisation permission to conduct the 400-km yatra which will pass through four districts around Faizabad where Ayodhya is located. The administration has said it fears a law and order problem. On its part, the VHP has said that it will go ahead with the procession.
Traders and businessmen in the city, who otherwise remain indifferent to various religious processions which take place almost throughout the year, are upset as Sunday’s rally is likely to disrupt normal life.
“Raam ke naam par ab bhi log mar sakte hain, par raajniti nahin chahiye (people can still die for Lord Raam, but we are fed up of politics),” says Gopal Gupta, who runs a sweet shop in Hanuman garhi market, around 500 metres from the site where Babri masjid was razed in 1992 – an event which marked the peak of Ram temple movement.
The event was followed by many communal clashes in the city. Gupta was 12 when the mosque was brought down. He had participated in the movement and in the shilanyaas (laying of temple stones at the disputed site). But soon after he realised that except political parties, none was gaining by keeping the movement alive.
“In the 1990s, it was a new idea, a new discourse. People got emotional. But how many times can they sell the same concept? Now, they should not do any talks and processions regarding the Ram temple inside Faizabad as it affect business of people like us. If a decision is taken in favour of building a temple, then it must be built. But why should we suffer in the run- up?” he says.
Locals dismiss the argument that Sunday’s yatra will mobilise Hindu nationals and has the potential to revive the Ram temple movement of 1992. “This yatra happens every year during April. By doing it in August, they (VHP) are setting a precedent. I am not sure about its significance,” says Pradeep Agrawal, a bookseller in the market.
Less than a kilometer away from the market, Mahant Suresh Das, a seer at Digambar Akhada – one of the most prominent seats of Hindu saints – blames the state government for politicising the yatra. “Heavens would not have fallen. But the Samajwadi Party banned the procession as it does not miss any opportunity to appease Muslims. Das, successor of Mahant Ramchandra Paramhans, who spearheaded the temple movement during the 1990s, says that the saints will switch over their loyalties to the Congress or any other party which guarantees them a temple at the disputed site.
More than 3,000 saints and seers have reached the city for Sunday’s procession, claims Das. “You don’t see them on the streets as they are underground. Otherwise, police would have arrested them to scale down the parikrama (circumambulation),” he says.
Some remain apolitical in their belief and their rhetoric. Ram Manohar Das, a saint from Himachal Pradesh who arrived in Ayodhya in June to participate in the yatra, is one of them. “Once I have decided to devote my life to my dharm (religion), I have to be there for it always. Politicians will do their karma. I will do mine,” he says.
However, they are unanimous in saying that Sunday’s programme should remain non-violent. “We will start the procession at 9.30 am and go as far as we are allowed to go by the administration. We will court arrest if needed. But there will be no clashes with the police,” says Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, president of Ram Janm Bhoomi nyaasm, which has been entrusted with the task of building the temple.
The state administration is not taking any chances and has done the bandobast.
Four companies of Rapid Action Force, fourteen companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary and 4,500 home guards have been called to prevent any untoward incident.
“Ten temporary jails have been built and around 50 preventive arrests have happened in Faizabad district since yesterday. We are basically ensuring that the normal life does not get affected,” said Vipin Kumar Dwivedi, district magistrate, Faizabad.
