25/01/2024
Statement on Ram Mandir Inauguration Event and happenings around the country.
On 22nd January, Narendra Modi (accompanied by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and UP CM Yogi Adityanath) led the inauguration ceremony of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. The event was marked by celebrations all over the country and Hindus abroad. This day is being called a historic day but if it is historic in any sense it will go down as one of the darkest days of history.
Ram Mandir is built on the land where once stood sixteenth-century Babri Masjid, which was destroyed in 1992 by Hindu mob provoked by the fascist RSS-BJP-VHP clique. The bogus claims of a Hindu structure lying underneath the mosque were used as a pretext to provoke hate sentiments leading to the destruction of the mosque, an event to which doubts are still raised over the conniving role of the then govt. Even the Supreme Court which ruled in favor of the construction of Ram Mandir in 2019 called the destruction of the mosque unlawful and criminal. Also, the judgement ruled that there was no evidence of any Hindu structure underlying beneath the mosque.
Narendra Modi, while addressing the ceremony, was sounding more like a priest than a PM. The commitment to secularism made in the constitution has been bid adieu. Modi called the day not just a date on the calendar, but the beginning of a new Kal Chakra. He also said that all the divine souls are asking what is next after temple construction, to which he responded with the call to connect “Dev to Desh and Ram to Rashtra”. This points to the fascist fringe of turning India into a Hindu Rashtra.
This becomes more clear when we look at the happenings all over the country on this ‘historic day’. Fascist Hindutva goons attacked various protest demonstrations against the unjust destruction of Babri Masjid to build Ram Mandir. These hooligans burnt a banner displayed in FTII Pune, created a ruckus at protest gathering in NIT Calicut, clashed with students protesting at Delhi Journalism School, disrupted the public screening of “Ram Ke Naam” documentary at KRNNIVSA (a film school in Kerala) and tried to disrupt its public screening at Hyderabad Central University. Not only this the fascist frenzy was violently displayed at various places. In Jhabua, MP Ram Mandir cheering mob raised a saffron flag on a church.In Agra too a large mob stormed into a Mughal Era Masjid and hoisted saffron flag. In Sangareddy, Telangana temple inauguration was ‘celebrated’ by burning a Muslim-owned shop and by playing loud music and dancing outside a mosque. In Hazratganj, Lucknow, UP it was dancing to anti-muslim songs. Most violent ‘celebrations’ were witnessed at Mira Road, Mumbai where it continued for more than two days. Muslim-owned properties were vandalised, genocidal slogans shouted, shops demolished, attacks on Muslim-owned auto-rickshaws, mini trucks and beating up the drivers. Unfortunately, after 2 days of this hooliganism, the Municipal Corporation demolished around 15 shops belonging to Muslims. Ironically all the 13 arrests made are of Muslims and no action has been taken on FIRs filed by Muslim persons. These are only some of the incidents, as at least in 5 states violent incidents have been reported. This is what the call of Dev to Desh and Ram to Rashtra looks like.
Also, this celebration of injustice on campuses is frightening. False narratives and bogus arguments are gaining acceptance over rational and critical thinking. Various groups at educational institutions organised celebrations of the event. Shamefully the administration of TISS Mumbai warned students against any organising or participation in protests against Ram Mandir event. In Panjab University, Chandigarh not only ABVP (student wing of RSS-BJP) but NSUI (Congress), CYSS (AAP) and even SOI (Akali Dal) organised these celebrations. Slogans like “Ayodhya to Jhanki hai, Kashi Mathura baaki hai” were raised. The social media page of an organisation PSU (L) was censored and then restored shortly after for criticising Ram Mandir event.
In these circumstances, one must try to comprehend the real motives of such state-sponsored/backed celebrations. Although the event at Ayodhya was attended by various boot licker sports personalities, Bollywood stars and big industrial magnates, interestingly some important Hindu religious leaders like Shankaracharyas have openly opposed the inauguration process and its timing as it is not yet complete. But the celebration process was still continued. This makes it clear that the intention is to use the inauguration event as a pretext to manipulate religious sentiments to cash electoral gains in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Since the Modi-led BJP has come to power, it has hastened the neo-liberal attack on our economy. To please its foreign masters, the Modi government has fastened the process of the sale of PSUs and other government assets, removing any barriers to FDI and has laid bare the Indian economy for imperialist loot. Unemployment and industrial and agrarian crises are ever-deepening. For the service of its corporate masters, even the ecological balance has been compromised and brought to the brink of destruction. Various mountainous and forest lands are being cleared off and tribals are displaced to give access to mining and other projects by these corporates. The govt has launched Operation SAMADHAN-Prahar and its recent version Operation Kagar to destroy the revolutionary movement simmering in Central India. The rights of people are regularly being curbed be it the new labour laws, farm laws (which were retrieved after a long struggle), CAA-NRC etc. Even after implementing anti-people policies like demonetisation and GST, Modi govt. remains popular reason being that it has gained mastery over manipulating religious sentiments of masses and fooling them into voting for it to power. It diverts the anger of the common masses into communal tensions and people are blinded into attacking minorities, especially Muslim people. The extent of the crisis of employment can be seen from the fact that many people are participating in recruitment drive to work in Israel, which is in condition of war since October last year, whose own citizens are leaving country. But the dissatisfaction is vented against minorities and other marginalised groups.
So we must expose this fascist sham which rants of nationalism but in reality is servant of foreign imperialists and has wreaked havoc on our domestic economy burdening common masses under poverty, inflation and unemployment.
SFS calls upon all to come forward to resist this fascist onslaught on common masses. The fascist lies of leading country to prosperity and slogans of “acche din” stand exposed but the Hindutva fascists are still blinding people by manipulating religious fervor to remain in power. All the concerned organisations and individuals must come forward to expose the true nature of fascism and put up a joint fight to defeat it.
