Union minister Uma Bharti, who once played a key role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, urges opposition parties not to politicise Ram temple issue.
New Delhi: Placing the onus of facilitating dialogue over the Ram temple issue on opposition leaders, including Congress president Rahul Gandhi, Union minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti has said it is the opposition that “plays the dirtiest role and spreads venom in society”.
On Ayodhya
“This is now a matter of dispute of land, not dispute of faith. As far as dispute of land is concerned, all parties can settle it outside the court also,” Bharti told ThePrint in an interview.
“I will invite Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav, Mayawati and Mamata Banerjee for facilitating dialogue, since they are all blaming us for using it for election purposes,” she added.
Asking the opposition parties to come for talks and find a solution, she said: “They are the ones who play the dirtiest role. They try to create disputes and divisions. This is why I want them to talk about communication and prepare a dialogue about how to build a temple where Ram lalla resides.
“If we try to do it, they (opposition) will create a lot of problems…People like Rahul Gandhi will spread venom in society. That is why they should be the ones to facilitate a dialogue,” she added.
All opposition parties should unite and get the dialogue started, Bharti, Minister for Drinking Water and Sanitation, said.
“It would show their responsibility towards the nation. I want to check if Congress, communist, and socialist leaders really want to maintain peace in the country or not. We have given our test that we are willing to do anything for the Ram Mandir. Now it is a challenge to them,” Bharti said.
Delay in SC hearing
On Monday, the Supreme Court posted the Ayodhya dispute case for hearing in the first week of January. The Ram temple issue, a politically and socially delicate matter, has been crucial to the BJP’s electoral fortunes, even facilitating its meteoric rise since the early 1990s.
However, Bharti, who was one of the leaders at the core of BJP’s Ram Janmabhoomi movement, claims this is not an election issue for the party.
“We never link elections with the Ayodhya issue. We have lost governments over the issue. For us, power is not important, it is the Ram Janmabhoomi movement that matters,” Bharti said.
She also termed the apex court deferring the hearing until January, months before general elections, as just a “coincidence”.
“The Supreme Court is an independent body and it is a coincidence the matter has come up now… It is a question of national pride for us. It is our faith the Ram temple be constructed there,” she said.
Also read: It makes good politics for Amit Shah to defy Supreme Court on Sabarimala, Ayodhya and NRC
Demand for a law on Ram temple
The delay in the Ayodhya land dispute ruling has led many in the Sangh Parirvar, including the RSS and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), to demand a law or ordinance by the ruling BJP government to facilitate the temple’s construction.
“Government intervention can happen only if everyone comes together to cooperate, like in the case of the Somnath temple,” she said.
“Government’s role should be to provide opportunity for both parties to start a dialogue. To bring a law, the approval of Parliament is needed and in that, the Congress should clarify its view,” Bharti said.
In recent times, to counter the BJP’s overt Hindutva politics, the Congress has also been perceived to peddle what is seen as ‘soft Hindutva’, with Rahul Gandhi visiting temples ahead of elections, flaunting his “Shiv bhakti” and being touted as a ” janeudhari Brahmin” by his own party.
“Somebody visiting a temple does not mean he should agree to the construction of the Ram temple. Where he (Gandhi) goes is his personal life. But he should not play any politics over the Ram Janmabhoomi issue,” Bharti said.
On Sabarimala
The Supreme Court’s recent decision allowing women of all age-groups to enter the Sabarimala temple in Kerala has led to deep polarisation, with protests against the decision even turning violent.
Terming these as issues of “personal faith”, Bharti said courts intervene in these matters only because they are approached, adding women themselves know “when” they should visit temples.
“Women are themselves aware of which temple they should go to, when and how. A temple is not a picnic spot; it is a place of faith. So, women who visit temples will keep its honour in mind. Nobody needs to tell them,” Bharti said.
The minister, once known for being mercurial and feisty, also argued for the right of those protesting against the court’s order to do so.
“Freedom of expression cannot be reserved for just one section. Everyone has the right. Nobody has the right to resort to violence, but everyone has the right to protest and express their views,” she said.
Also read: BJP allies react with unease as RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat calls for law to build Ram temple
On upper caste ire in Madhya Pradesh
The Shivraj Singh Chouhan government in Madhya Pradesh — battling a three-term anti-incumbency — has been grappling with an angry upper caste voter, upset with the BJP for what it sees as the party’s attempts to pander to backward communities, especially Dalits.
The BJP government at the Centre had brought in a law restoring the provisions of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities Act) that had been diluted by the apex court. The government’s moved invited the ire of the upper castes — BJP’s traditional vote base.
“Earlier there were questions and fears in people’s minds that this Act can be used against them mischievously. After the Chief Minister clarified and assured misuse of the Act will not be allowed, people were satisfied,” Bharti claimed.
“Now there is no dissatisfaction either among the upper castes or among SC/ST communities. There is no problem in Madhya Pradesh now,” she added.
An MP from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, Bharti has also represented Madhya Pradesh in Parliament and even served as chief minister of the state.
In 2003, two strong women won Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh for their party, setting the stage for preponement of the general election. Ms Raje is now serving the tail end of her second term in office. Ms Uma Bharati handed over the crown to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who has never looked back since.