Ayodhya: How BJP Lost The Land Of Ram Mandir

Ayodhya has changed. In early January, it looked like an adolescent preparing for a fancy dress competition바카라�eager, obedient, unrecognisable; reflected in the neat file of shops, shrunk on the government orders, on the Ram Janmabhoomi Path바카라�but in June it resembles a dogged daredevil: the shops have spilled on the road (selling golgappas, toys, and pooja items), as if flipping the bird to the city administration. Some hawkers sit on the pavement with jute bags; some hold rods balancing floral dresses; some stand near folding tables. The demolition drive overwhelmed Ayodhya on the very same road over the last two years: shops halved, homes snatched, pittance tossed. But now if the authorities come, the tables will fold, the bags will swing, and the hawkers will flee. How do you destroy something that doesn바카라�t even exist? The portable shops send as clear a message as the recent election result: We바카라�re reclaiming our street and town, do what you can.

An entrance to the Ram mandir opens on the same road. Most devotees have arrived from different parts of the country. And, over the last few days, they saw a message on social media platforms: that if they visit Ayodhya, they shouldn바카라�t give business to the locals. 바카라�Before I came here,바카라� says Vivek Kumar, a salesman from Chandigarh, 바카라�my friend told me, 바카라�Don바카라�t buy any prasad from a local shopkeeper.바카라�바카라� He did not. 바카라�They defeated the BJP; we won바카라�t let them thrive.바카라� It makes no sense to a shopkeeper on the main road: 바카라�Because the winning candidate [Awadhesh Prasad] is also a Hindu.바카라�

The Hindutva-Ayodhya story can be summed up in a meme: 바카라�바카라�How it started, how it바카라�s going바카라�바카라�. How it started: the demolition of the Babri Masjid, how it바카라�s going: the demolition of homes. How it started: the rabid-right wingers boycotting Muslim hawkers, how it바카라�s going: the rabid right-wingers boycotting Hindu shopkeepers. How it started: Indian Muslims proving their patriotism, how it바카라�s going: Indian Hindus proving their Hinduism.

A man on the Delhi-Ayodhya flight kept watching and 바카라�liking바카라� videos on the topic (one of them called the people of Ayodhya 바카라�ungrateful바카라�). Another man in a hotel lobby assured someone on the phone: 바카라�Ayodhya-vaasi are not at fault. They still belong to Shri Ram.바카라� The boycott call amuses Shri Pal Das, a priest at the Prajapati Temple: 바카라�Sure, don바카라�t buy anything from us. But will you leave everything connected to our town바카라�how about the roads that pass through it? Will you come by helicopter, do darshan, and return?바카라�

If the Ram mandir was supposed to make the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) sail then, according to Das, the same mandir has made it sink. 바카라�After the consecration ceremony, it바카라�s become difficult to move inside the town.바카라� Numerous barricades overwhelm the roads, forcing people to take much longer routes바카라�something I, too, experienced while visiting the Prajapati Temple. 바카라�So if someone falls sick바카라�or if there바카라�s a medical emergency바카라�then how will they reach the hospital on time? I know at least 30 to 35 people who died on the way.바카라� Over the last few months, he바카라�s also noticed another change: the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) workers raising Jai Shri Ram slogans, then saying 바카라�Ab ki baar, 400 paar바카라�, then screaming 바카라�the Constitution will be abolished; the Manusmriti will be imposed바카라�. Now everyone knows, adds Pal, what the Manusmriti contains. 바카라�The Constitution protects the [Other] Backward Castes and Scheduled Castes. So what now: Will you turn the tide, will the chains of slavery return? The people responded: We바카라�re here, we바카라�re alive. We won바카라�t allow genocide.바카라�

The BJP바카라�s ex-MP, Lallu Singh, also made the comment about the Constitution in April. Since then, the electoral battle in the temple town became embroiled among three gods: Ram (the real God), Modi (the self-proclaimed God), and B R Ambedkar (a God-like idol). 바카라�Besides, whenever the people approached Lallu Singh for their problems바카라�바카라�such as shopkeepers demanding fair compensations바카라�바카라�he바카라�d only say one thing: 바카라�Have you given vote to me or Modi-ji?바카라�바카라� He also told the shopkeepers: 바카라�바카라�I don바카라�t want your 10,000, 20,000, or 50,000 votes.바카라� So they waited for their chance. And they knew that, in the town of gods, at least one thing will prevail: divine justice.바카라�

There바카라�s one word that ripples across the Faizabad constituency as people discuss the recent election. They say it with unmitigated passion and relish바카라�referring to Singh and, at times, Modi바카라�바카라�Ahankaari바카라�, 바카라�ghamandi바카라� [arrogant]. 바카라�Lallu never came on the road, never met anyone,바카라� says Krishna Kumar Mishra. 바카라�Like Modi-ji is an 바카라�avatari-purush바카라� [God바카라�s avatar], so is Lallu. When Modi-ji came, he went on a road show and just waved at people. So they waved back at him바카라�bye, bye.바카라� He laughs. Besides Lallu바카라�s complacency, he also discusses the 바카라�lack of enthusiasm among the BJP workers바카라�. They barely campaigned. 바카라�In fact, the BJP didn바카라�t get the support of the BJP.바카라� Why? That sentiment pops up again: ghamand. 바카라�Lallu believes in one man, one party, so he didn바카라�t allow anyone else to rise. As a result, during the election, no one helped him.바카라�

As Mishra talks, three more men join the conversation. They call themselves 바카라�Sanatani바카라� who had voted for the saffron party in the last Lok Sabha election. But they flipped this time. 바카라�The BJP put our entire town under curfew,바카라� says Krishna. 바카라�Not for one or two days but forever.바카라� They bemoan the barricades restricting their mobility, the 바카라�VIP culture바카라� ruining Ayodhya, and the administration denying the locals the chance to enter the temple on the consecration day. 바카라�The police beat them with lathis [sticks],바카라� says 바카라�Guru Baba바카라�, raising his voice. 바카라�They made us dogs in our own home.바카라�

Krishna keeps calling the consecration as the 바카라�BJP바카라�s event바카라�. This group바카라�s grievance has another component. 바카라�Ram-ji was not black [referring to the idol바카라�s colour],바카라� says Krishna. 바카라�He was wheatish.바카라� He cites a line from the Ramcharitmanas to support his claim, then hammers the BJP for milking the Ram mandir for political gains. 바카라�Our Shankaracharyas said no, so we followed. It may be an election issue for you, but for us, it바카라�s a matter of heart, a matter of faith.바카라� Towards the end of the conversation, Krishna says something that바카라�s echoed by several locals across the constituency: 바카라�It바카라�s believed that if we vote for the BJP only then we바카라�re considered Hindus. So the people of Ayodhya want to say something to the BJP: we don바카라�t want your certificate.바카라�

Several political commentators called the 2024 Lok Sabha election 바카라�silent바카라�, as many voters seemed reluctant바카라�or fearful바카라�to voice their opinions. But even a week after the results, silence continues to talk in the markets of Ayodhya. More than half of the shopkeepers didn바카라�t allow me to record our conversations. It바카라�s not tough to understand why, for their lives have become entwined with politics in a way they바카라�d like to forget. 바카라�Vikas [development] has happened,바카라� says Manish Jaiswal, a young man, selling clothes on the road. Can he give a few examples? A long silence. 바카라�So much has happened. You바카라�d have to ask me what has not happened.바카라� Still, can he talk about two or three things? Another silence. He scratches his chin: 바카라�Vikas has happened.바카라� Shivam Kaushal, like many shopkeepers on the Ram Janmabhoomi Path, lost both his home and shop. But he can바카라�t understand why the BJP lost the election. 바카라�I바카라�m ashamed. Our victory looked certain.바카라� Maybe, he adds, the demolished shops had something to do with it. 바카라�But even that was fine. The shops had to be destroyed; the road had to be widened바카라�otherwise where will the pilgrims go?바카라�

A few feet away is Krishna Gupta바카라�s shop. His story is also the same as everyone else on this strip. He got a compensation of Rs 1.35 lakh; he expected at least Rs 5 lakh. 바카라�When we went to meet Lallu Singh to discuss our compensation, he dismissed us.바카라� So before the election, the traders held a meeting: 바카라�We said, no matter what, we won바카라�t vote for Lallu Singh. He바카라�s ghamandi.바카라� But then, without asking, he says, 바카라�I voted for the BJP.바카라� What explains the contradiction? Gupta sees none. 바카라�Here, everybody voted for the BJP. I voted for vikas, for my family바카라�s safety. Since the BJP has come to power, crime has reduced a lot.바카라� What does he admire about the BJP바카라�s vikas work? 바카라�Now what do I say about that?바카라� He smiles, then stays quiet.

바카라�They바카라�re lying that they voted for the BJP,바카라� says an old shopkeeper on the same road. He echoes Krishna바카라�s concerns: that how the outside money has made Ayodhya unaffordable for them. The auto fares have soared; the barricades have put a siege on their town. 바카라�The BJP would have lost by a bigger margin if it hadn바카라�t done the EVM scam.바카라� His anger is visible, his betrayal palpable. 바카라�The BJP바카라�s arrogance led to its downfall.바카라� Referring to a famous Hindutva song, Jo Ram Ko Laaye Hain/Hum Unko Layenge [We바카라�ll elect those who brought Ram], he asks, 바카라�Can someone bring Ram? He바카라�s the one who has brought us all.바카라� And finally: 바카라�I don바카라�t want the BJP바카라�s certificate that I바카라�m a Hindu.바카라�

In the Pasi-dominated Sanethu village, the farmers endure the same problems common to many UP hamlets, but here, there are issues within issues. 바카라�When we visit the gaushala to deposit a stray animal,바카라� says Daya Prasad Rawat, 바카라�we바카라�ve to pay a Rs 500 bribe.바카라� Several villagers repeat the same amount. They also agree that neither Singh nor his representatives campaigned in their area, while Prasad came often. 바카라�It didn바카라�t even feel like an election this time,바카라� says Surendra Pratap Singh who chose the BJP. One by one, almost all of them underscore the following: Singh바카라�s 바카라�ghamand바카라�, 바카라�he didn바카라�t do any work as an MP바카라�, 바카라�just Ram mandir wasn바카라�t enough바카라�, 바카라�we also wanted to attend the consecration ceremony but weren바카라�t allowed바카라�.

Not all of them had heard of Singh바카라�s comment about changing the Constitution, but it left a deep impact on those who had. 바카라�They바카라�ll remove reservations,바카라� says Ram Awadh, a blue-collar worker. It also felt like an attack on his idol. 바카라�They바카라�re removing the word of Babasaheb.바카라� He points to a spot in the village, where Ambedkar바카라�s statue stands. 바카라�They바카라�ll impose the Manusmriti,바카라� says 17-year-old Amit. 바카라�Dalits are anyway backward.바카라� His friend, Ashu, acknowledges the enormity of the comment about the Constitution, but 바카라�the BJP would have lost even without it바카라�. And just like many in Amethi and Raebareli, the people in the Faizabad constituency바카라�both in the town and villages바카라�rail against the 바카라�Godi media바카라�.

Several farmers talk about another threat바카라�바카라�the outsiders will snatch our lands바카라�바카라�but don바카라�t explain it further. 바카라�There바카라�s a lot of fear,바카라� says Rawat. 바카라�It wasn바카라�t like this before.바카라� Seeing Ashu and Amit talk, their friend, Gulshan Rawat, stops by. 바카라�The farmers are scared that the government will take their lands to build a ring road. They aren바카라�t plastering or making their homes.바카라� Gulshan, too, is worried. He owns three bighas in the Samaha Khurd village near the main road. After the Supreme Court바카라�s decision, several locals say, the land prices shot up in the area, resulting in one biswa netting around Rs 4 lakh. But the government will only give them Rs 1.14 lakh. (Twenty biswas make a bigha, and one bigha is 1.63 acres.) Gulshan expected Rs 2 crore for his plot; he바카라�ll earn less than half of that. But unlike other villagers, he contacted a 바카라�big lawyer in Faizabad바카라� and filed a lawsuit. A few weeks ago, he adds, many farmers complained to Singh. 바카라�He said, 바카라�It바카라�s alright even if I get less votes, but it바카라�s my government, I can바카라�t do anything.바카라�바카라� He sums up the BJP바카라�s debacle in a sentence: 바카라�This time, the poor villagers brought the government down.바카라�

In Samaha Khurd, the government notice left Roshan Rawat, 26, baffled. 바카라�It didn바카라�t mention the circle rate. It didn바카라�t estimate the cost of trees, wells, boring.바카라� Given his plot lies near the main road, he expects at least Rs 10 lakh per biswa. Desperate to find a solution, he followed the Parliamentary debates on his phone. 바카라�Lallu Singh never raised the issue. He thought he바카라�d win due to Modi alone.바카라� Before the government intervention, which first began via the Aerocity construction, many property dealers used to scout the area, promising up to Rs 18 lakh per biswa. But when they found out about the government eyeing these lands, says Roshan, they stopped coming. The officials pressured the villagers: 바카라�You won바카라�t be able to fight the government.바카라� Many obeyed. When the pradhans met with Singh, he said, 바카라�We바카라�ll see after elections.바카라�

Ayodhya is not just restricted to 10 km, says Roshan, the area that interests the media and the outsiders. 바카라�You just need to cross that radius, and you바카라�ll see that no change has taken place.바카라� He discusses the backlash on social media. 바카라�People are abusing us sitting in Delhi and Gujarat. If they think that only the BJP folks are Ram bhakts, then they바카라�re wrong. They바카라�re not Ram bhakts; they바카라�re andh bhakts [blind devotees].바카라�

Unlike Gulshan, Roshan hasn바카라�t filed a lawsuit. He plans to approach Prasad. 바카라�He바카라�s assured us that he바카라�d get the circle rate increased within three months. I hope Modi-ji listens to our problems. I hope he understands why he lost Ayodhya.바카라� And as if rebutting the political analysts who reduce a town바카라�s diversity to the 바카라�caste-religion equation바카라�, Roshan says, 바카라�It바카라�s not about caste. Had that been the case, how would they win the 2022 elections?바카라� Many Brahmins and Thakurs, he adds, also voted for the Samajwadi Party (SP), as they too had lost their lands. 바카라�Hindu khatre mein nahin hai, Samvidhan khatre mein nahin hai. Zameen khatre mein hai [Hindus are not endangered, the Constitution is not endangered. Our land is endangered].바카라�

There바카라�s something else in Ayodhya whose fate, much like Roshan and Gulshan바카라�s, has remained unchanged: the Mohammed Bin Abdullah mosque, the Babri Masjid바카라�s replacement. Earlier this year in January, its caretaker had said that the construction would begin by May 2024, but nothing has happened. In fact, forget constructing, this place is unravelling. Newspaper scraps, plastic cups, guthka sachets, shoe soles, aluminium foils, and ice cream packets litter the far end of the field. Two barbed wires have broken down on the left periphery. But at 7:30 in the morning, on the day of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup match, a few school kids playing cricket provide some solace. They say their full names, as if lining up for the morning attendance: 바카라�Ritesh Yadav, Vishal Yadav, Vineet Yadav.바카라� Rohit Sharma seems to be a clear favourite among them, followed by Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya. A player crash lands his bat to a yorker, much like M S Dhoni, and the ball races to hit the mosque wall: It바카라�s a boundary.

Behind the mosque stand several columns of crates containing mangoes. A few men sit on chairs and a wooden plank bed. 바카라�Till the BJP government is in power,바카라� says Mohammad Siraj Khan, 바카라�the mosque won바카라�t be built.바카라� Over the last five years, he adds, Singh never came here (not even for campaigning). Like many in Ayodhya, Khan praises Prasad for the same reasons: that he바카라�s amiable, humble, accessible바카라�someone who has served the poor. 바카라�He didn바카라�t win because of caste but because he worked.바카라� He asks: 바카라�They say we brought Ram바카라�was Ram not there before?바카라�

This election though, he says, has restored some unity between Hindus and Muslims. Otherwise, they바카라�d have voted for the BJP, and the SP바카라�s vote share wouldn바카라�t have increased. Khan바카라�s demands are modest: a road and a school. He points to a nearby area, dominated by Thakurs, which got a 10 km road, but his area has nothing. 바카라�Muslims are surviving on their own. That바카라�s why we choose a political party that gives us izaat (respect).바카라� The conversation returns to the mosque: 바카라�Why will the BJP care for it? They only have one motive: that the Muslims leave. Will Muslims go anywhere? Arre, ehi mein katiye, mariye, jeehiye, rahiye [we바카라�ll die, live, and survive here].바카라�

(This appeared in the print as 'Ayodhya: Demolition Row')