Ram Janmabhoomi struggle was about restoring national pride, not religion, says RSS mouthpiece

An editorial in RSS mouthpiece Organiser says the presence of political and spiritual leaders at the ground-breaking ceremony will deliver a message.

An RSS gathering | Representational image | Facebook

New Delhi: The struggle for the liberation of Ram Janmabhoomi was “not a religious one” but about restoring the “national pride”, the RSS mouthpiece Organiser has said ahead of the bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking) ceremony of Ram temple in Ayodhya on 5 August.

“The entire struggle for the liberation of the Ram Janmabhoomi was not a religious one. Whether the continuous social efforts on the ground or the legal battle that took place since 1949, it was all about the restoration of the national pride,” the RSS mouthpiece said in an editorial published Tuesday.

It said the “natural quest for reasserting our civilisational identity was reflected in this struggle and it was not aimed against anybody but meant for regaining the ‘self’ that was damaged by foreign aggression”.

“Prabhu Shri Ram has been the symbol of that collective consciousness of the nation, that is being restored,” the editorial said. It that the “commencement of reconstruction of the Ram Mandir at the same Janmabhoomi Sthan is an epoch-making event in many ways”.

A new chapter will be written in the “history of Bharat” on 5 August, it said.

Presence of political & spiritual leadership ‘significant’

The Organiser editorial also highlighted the significance of the presence of political and spiritual leaders at the ground-breaking ceremony and the “message it will deliver”.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP-VHP-RSS leaders associated with the temple movement have confirmed their presence at the 5 August event. Saints from across the country will also participate. Opposition leaders have not been invited.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, which has been created to manage the temple construction, has asked others to not visit Ayodhya and offer prayers at home.

“Due to the pandemic, many people would not be able to attend the ceremony physically, but the entire world would be watching it live on various platforms. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the entire leadership of the revered saints who guided and spearheaded the movement for the liberation of the Janmasthan will be present there,” said the editorial.

“The combined presence of political and spiritual leadership on the historic occasion is significant because of the message it is going to deliver.”

‘Frustration against anglicised group’

This process of rejuvenation has been even more significant at the intellectual level, said the Organiser editorial.

“The colonial prism influenced our intelligentsia to a great extent. The parameters of being ‘liberal’ and ‘progressive’ used by such elite did not allow them to absorb the intrinsic civilisational value of this movement. The natural urge to decolonise the symbols of foreign aggression was alien to them,” it said.

“Inclusivity is inherent to the concept of Ram-Rajya and therefore, neither the dichotomy of secular-communal nor the binary of majority-minority could encapsulate the essence of the Ram Janmabhoomi liberation movement,” the RSS mouthpiece said.

It added the since Independence, “ordinary people of Bharat wanted to liberate themselves from the colonial paradigms, whether of self-perception or the world-view. Unfortunately, the intellectual elite continued to impose the fragmented and exclusivist ideas on them”.

The RSS mouthpiece said the frustration against this anglicised, privileged group kept piling, which ultimately led to the building up of the movement.

“The beginning of reconstruction is the liberation of that collective national psyche from the colonial constructs,” it said.

‘Step forward’

The editorial added that some detractors are still trying to “derail the process of integration and assimilation through justice and reconciliation”.

“Honourable Supreme Court has ensured that such forces would not succeed any longer. The movement, struggle, and judgment by the Supreme Court were the crucial stages in this process of regaining national consciousness,” it said.

It argued that the reconstruction of the temple is a step forward. “While the process of developing the entire Teerth Kshetra circuit will go on for next 2-3 years, the real challenge is to remember the resolve for Ram-Rajya, the just and harmonious system, that will ensure participation and prosperity for all,” it said.

“We should not forget that being a model for the entire world in terms of polity, economy and social harmony is the ultimate goal and Sri Ram stands as an inspiration and ideal in the realisation of that objective. The presence of political and spiritual leadership in Ayodhya should be seen as a resolve for this eternal aspiration of Bharat,” added the editorial.