E-Paper
U.P. lawmakers’ bus ride to Ayodhya: It was all about faith, honour and smiling faces
Most legislators decided to come alone while some came along with their spouses and a couple of them also brought their children as well
Some Uttar Pradesh lawmakers had dressed for the occasion, others were in their usual apparel on Sunday for the first official group trip of the state legislators to the Ram temple in Ayodhya ever since the Pran Pratishtha of Ram Lalla was performed there on January 22.
Several BJP lawmakers were clad in saffron kurtas with “Ram-Nami” stoles. Most legislators decided to come alone while some came along with their spouses and a couple of them also brought their children as well. The scheduled time for the departure of 10 state roadways luxury buses carrying the lawmakers was 8.15 am.
Ritesh Gupta, the BJP MLA from Moradabad city seat, was the first to turn up at 7.40 am. “I am going along with my wife. We are going there together and it will be the first visit to the temple town for both of us,” he said on arrival. “All legislators were invited with their spouses. I feel blessed that I am going today,” he added. When asked about the Samajwadi Party, he said: “They are unfortunate”.
The second one and the first woman legislator to arrive was BJP MLA from Etawah Sadar Sarita Bhadauria. Sitting and sipping tea at the assemblage area for legislators, she said: “I am lucky and appreciate the invite by CM Yogi Adityanath and speaker Satish Mahana. It was very nice of them to have organised this trip.”
On Samajwadi Party, she said: “Samajwadi Party declined (the invite) because of politics. All people believe in Lord Ram but the SP fears that going to the Ram Temple would disturb their vote politics.” After Gupta and Bhadauria, other lawmakers began coming in droves and camaraderie was palpable and by that time the morning had turned quite sunny.
On arrival, all of them said virtually the same thing as Gupta and Bhadauria about themselves and the Samajwadi Party. However, there was suspense till 8 am about the members from other parties as only the BJP lawmakers could be seen.
The first non-BJP lawmaker who turned up at the venue--the front of the Vidhan Bhawan--was Rashtriya Lok Dal’s (RLD) Sadabad (Hathras) MLA Guddu Chaudhary. “I don’t mix faith and politics. I am going for my faith in Lord Ram. No one should read politics in it. Bharat Ratna to Chaudhary Charan Singh and Lord Ram does not indicate any politics. If the SP members are not going, it’s their choice and decision,” he said.
Chaudhary came with wife and their son. While Chaudhary was guarded in his statements, RLD Legislature Party leader Rajpal Baliyan said: “It’s about Lord Ram. In going there, I am feeling blessed.” When asked about RLD going to the BJP-led NDA, he said: “Consider it final...Decision will be taken by (RLD chief) Jayant Chaudhary”.
Soon, another RLD MLA Prasann Chaudhary joined the two. There were no saffron or party flags, neither any images nor placards. As the groups started growing bigger, several groups of BJP lawmakers began chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’. RLD members too joined the groups though they did not join the chanting.
It was known beforehand that the RLD and Congress members would go and the SP won’t go but there was no word about the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) which has a member each in the assembly and the council. And then arrived BSP MLA Uma Shankar Singh. By 8.45 am, the 10 UPSRTC buses—numbered ‘1’ to ‘10’—began lining up. Each had a seating capacity of 44.
Soon BJP MLC Mohsin Raza came and then came the Congress Legislative Party leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’, Kunda (Pratapgarh) MLA and Jansatta Party Loktantrik chief Raghuraj Pratap Singh. “Just look at the happiness on each and every face here. It is a big honour not only for me, but for all the legislators (who are going to Ayodhya),” he said.
Vidhan Sabha speaker Satish Mahana came wearing a saffron headgear and mingled with the members of both the houses of the legislatures and their families. “I am of all the members and all the members are mine,” he said. All the buses were blue. They left between 9 am and 9.15 am. All through the way, at major intersections, on the 135 km road between Lucknow and Ayodhya, the buses were showered with petals.
