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VHP Dharma Sabha today: Ayodhya on edge amid uneasy calm
VHP’s Dharma Sabha today: Three-layer security in place in temple town with special vigil around the disputed complex. Senior officials from Lucknow are camping in the temple city.
As a frenzied mob, shouting slogans in support of Ram temple construction, reached Ayodhya for attending Shiv Sena’s ‘Aashirwad Utsav’ on Saturday and VHP’s Dharma Sabha on Sunday, a three-layer security was put in place in view of heightened tension and charged atmosphere.
The city was drenched in a saffron hue -- the colour of both Shiv Sena and VHP.
Frenzied group of Shiv Sainiks were seen moving on the streets of Ayodhya chanting slogans like ‘Jai Shri Ram’, ‘Pahle Mandir, Phir Sarkar’ and ‘Jai Bhawani, Jai Shivaji’ as the local residents remained divided on the need for holding such programmes.
The VHP supporters poured in on bikes, SUVs and buses even as the senior officials of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) kept busy making last-minute preparations for the success of VHP’s congregation, for which a massive build-up had been done over the weeks.
Immediately after the arrival of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in the afternoon, the district administration sealed Ayodhya. Cops were alert, drones deployed to monitor movement of mobs amid apprehensions of trouble while some were making videos of the crowd. The para-military forces and the state police were on their toes constantly guarding the streets, specially the Muslim dominated areas.
Senior officials from Lucknow are camping in the temple city.
A special vigil was maintained around the disputed complex, which was about 2 km from the venue of Thackeray’s Aashirwad Utsav.
Uddhav presence created lot of curiosity as it is the first time that he has visited Ayodhya.
Making a blistering attack on the Modi government, he asserted that he had to come to Ayodhya to wake up ‘Kumbhkaran’ “who is sleeping for the past over four years.”
“The real ‘Kumbhkaran’ slept for six months. But this ‘Kumbhkaran’ (Modi government) is sleeping for the past over four years,” he said.
Mocking the Prime Minister for his famous ‘56-inch chest’ statement, Thackeray said: “It is not important to have a big chest. But you should have a heart in your chest.”
Ironically, listening to him were also some VHP volunteers.
Later Uddhav, along with his wife Rashmi and son Aditya went to Saryu ghat for ‘aarti’.
Earlier in the day, Udhav interacted with seers and got the blessings of Nritya Gopal Das, the head of Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas.
VHP vice-president Champat Rai said, “Some intellectuals sitting in New Delhi think that Ram temple movement has lost relevance. We will show the mirror to them.”
VHP has already revised its estimate of the crowd likely to attend the Dharam Sabha from 1 lakh to 2 lakh. Seers associated with the VHP are reaching Ayodhya from across the country for the event. However, chief minister and his cabinet colleagues will stay away from the event, unlike December 1992 when the BJP’s senior leadership was present in Ayodhya for the final showdown.
Although the state government has deployed large contingents of police force to maintain law and order in Ayodhya, uneasiness is palpable in Muslim-dominated areas of Ayodhya and adjoining districts.
Mohammad Yusuf, a local resident, said: “Muslims are afraid. We saw such a huge crowd in 1992 when the Babri Masjid was demolished and a large number of people were killed in violence in different parts of the country. Some people of our community have shifted their families while others are keeping fingers crossed,” said Mohammd Yusuf, a local resident.
Iqbal Ansari, a party to the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case in the Supreme Court, said the fear of a repeat of the 1992-type communal violence looms large among the Muslim community with the large mobilization of VHP volunteers.
Fearing trouble, several Muslims settled in Alambagh Katra locality of the temple town have shifted their women and children to safer places.
Mahanth Dharamdas, a party from the Hindu side in title dispute case, said the town is in grip of rumours as hordes of Shiv Sena and VHP workers are arriving.
“An uneasy calm is prevailing in the town,” he said.
The chief priest of Ramlala Virajaman at the acquired premises in Ayodhya, Acharya Satyendra Das, termed the VHP’s ‘Dharam Sabha’ as “purposeless”.
He said there’s no point in having the event in Ayodhya. “Instead they should go to Delhi and gherao the Prime Minister,” he added.
Ayodhya residents, however, said the issue was being raised in view of the Lok Sabha elections.
“They (politicians and religious organisations) are also aware that nothing can be done now. The Supreme Court will take up the issue only in January 2019. If they want to hold any such convention they should do so in New Delhi to put pressure on the Narendra Modi government to bring an ordinance,” said Dhiman, a rickshaw-puller.
A local shopkeeper Ram Prakash said, “We are happy to see focus shifting again on Ayodhya. Although not many visitors buy anything more than ‘prasad’, their visit means more income for us.”
Meanwhile, terming the mobilisation of people for Ram temple a planned strategy of the saffron brigade, Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati said the temple issue is in the Supreme Court and “the matter should be disposed of by the court only”.
