The majestic Ram Ki Paidi ghat on the bank of the River Saryu draws attention as one enters Ayodhya after covering 137 kilometres on the National Highway 27 from Lucknow in the midst of the UP polls.
The road ahead has shops, big and small, on both sides. The entire stretch leads one right to the doorstep of the Hanuman Garhi temple. Some shops are as old as the city itself.
The survival of these shops and commercial establishments has become the main concern in this temple town during the ongoing UP polls.
Indeed, livelihood has become a bigger issue than the Ram temple in Ayodhya in this assembly election, the first being held after the construction of Ram temple began post the November 2019 verdict of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya title dispute case.
Around 750 shops and commercial establishments from Ram Ki Paidi right up to Ayodhya (Old Faizabad) city will be demolished if the Yogi Adityanath government’s ambitious road widening project is implemented there.
Not only traders, but also sadhus and locals are standing in solidarity with those opposing the project.
{{/usCountry}}Not only traders, but also sadhus and locals are standing in solidarity with those opposing the project.
{{/usCountry}}Although the project is yet to be rolled out, the Ayodhya administration has demarcated shops and commercial establishments that will be demolished on both sides of the road.
Ram Sagar, 55, is one of those who fears he will be affected once the project is implemented. He sells wooden slippers (khadau) at his small shop on the Naya Ghat road.
Busy giving final touches to his wooden slippers spread outside his small shop, Ram Sagar says, “As a youth I have seen the Ram temple movement. Its memories are crystal clear in my mind. I was around 23 years old when the police opened fire on kar sevaks (October-November 1990) in Ayodhya during the Ram temple movement. Now, Ram temple is being constructed after three decades of struggle (legal battle).”
“Today, we are facing an altogether different problem. It is related with our livelihood. The road widening project will take away my shop. It is my only means to earn a livelihood,” Ram Sagar adds.
“Now, when khadaus are in demand due to increased footfalls of tourists, the prospect of losing the shop is looming large (due to the road widening project),” Ram Sagar says.
As one reaches the Hanuman Garhi crossing, a similar concern is raised by owners of all commercial establishments.
There are sweetmeat shops on both sides of the Hanuman Garhi road. Some also sell varied articles. All of them will be demolished if the project is implemented. Several of the shops are run from rented accommodations.
Radha Krishna, 51, is running one such rented shop for the last three generations.
“If the shops are demolished, then their owners will get compensation. But what about us who are running rented shops for three generations to earn their livelihood?” Radha Krishna asks.
“Now, only Hanuman ji can save us,” adds Radha Krishna.
To the left side of the road, one can spot Monkey Tailor, an old shop that specialises in stitching men’s clothes.
Its proprietor Anurag Shukla, 37, is a worried man. Officials of the Ayodhya administration have already demarcated his shop.
“From the entrance up to 12 metres, my shop will be demolished if the project (road widening) is implemented. Behind my shop, there are other establishments. Only God knows what will happen,” says Anurag Shukla.
“We are not against any development project. But before demolishing shops, every shopkeeper must be rehabilitated. This is the basic rule everywhere when you uproot traders for executing any development project,” says Anurag Shukla.
“After decades of misery and penury, our business started to pick up after construction of the Ram temple began. Increased footfall of tourists has helped every trader. Now, I am also getting more orders from locals,” says Anurag Shukla.
“But where will I go from here, only Hanumanji knows,” says Shukla, gesturing his hand towards the sky.
Even chief minister Yogi Adityanath is aware of this resentment among traders, saints and other locals against the project.
“I assure saints and traders of Ayodhya that no project will be executed (in Ayodhya) without their consent,” Yogi Adityanath sought to allay traders’ fears while addressing a gathering at the end of his road show at Ram Ki Paidi in Ayodhya on Thursday (February 24).
A few days before, deputy chief minister Dinesh Sharma landed in Ayodhya for separate meetings with saints and traders.
At both the meetings, Sharma tried to assure the participants that the state government will not execute any project without the approval of the locals.
“If the BJP loses from here (Ayodhya Sadar assembly constituency), then it will send a wrong message to the entire country,” says BJP leader Vinay Katiyar, addressing a public meeting.
The BJP has once again fielded Ved Prakash Gupta, the sitting MLA from the prestigious Ayodhya Sadar seat. The road widening project and the upcoming Ram temple are part of this assembly constituency.
Sensing opportunity, former Samajwadi Party MLA from Ayodhya Sadar Tej Narain Pandey aka Pawan Pandey, has extended full support to the traders.
Pandey, who had defeated the BJP’s Lallu Singh in Ayodhya in the 2012 assembly polls, is the SP candidate this time, too.
Ayodhya votes in the fifth phase of the UP polls on February 27.