South Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook is set to be the chief guest of Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath’s grand Diwali festivities in Ayodhya. Yogi Adityanath may also announce a towering Ram statue on the day and has already asked people to light a diya for the Hindu god.
ThePrint asks- Yogi & Korean first lady’s Ayodhya Diwali: Religious tourism or fanning Ram Mandir demand?
Ayodhya becoming a religious tourism destination again would be a feat
Sanjeev Balyan
MP, BJP
Diwali is celebrated across the country with great jest and exuberance. But never has a Diwali of this extraordinary relevance been celebrated in the very birth place of the God for whom Diwali exists. This is a matter of great pride for us that people of eminence from outside the country have come to Ayodhya to be a part of this celebration. Not everything is to be seen with a political lens, some things are purely a matter of faith. Celebrating Diwali in Ayodhya is one such matter. If we can make it a religious tourism destination once again, then that would be a feat. A memorial for the Korean queen that is to be inaugurated will only make the destination more appealing to tourists.
As far as demand for a Ram Mandir at Ayodhya is concerned, it is a demand gaining more mileage and support from the people. The issue was of great importance in the past, died down some time back, but is back to being an important priority for the government as well the citizens. There is pressure on the government to deliver a Ram Mandir at the birth site of Ram, and there is also pressure on the Supreme Court to deliver a verdict soon. It is only the top leadership which will be able to decide the further course of action needed to finally build a Ram Mandir.
2019 election will be between those who want Ram Mandir and those who don’t
Shahid Siddiqui
Political commentator
Ram Mandir has always been a political issue. All stakeholders and parties have done politics over it. From Rajiv Gandhi to Narasimha Rao to Narendra Modi—everyone has been complicit in the politics over Ram Mandir. The visit of the Korean first lady is only to give the matter a global color and appearance. Of course, given the historical ties of the two lands, there isn’t any problem in her visiting Ayodhya for Diwali.
The BJP is quickly realising that there is no other issue on which they can win the 2019 elections except for Ram Mandir. In 2014, they hardly mentioned Ram Mandir in their campaign speeches – it was all about development and good governance. Today, they know all of that has lost credibility in the eyes of the people. They know it was all a sham. Ram Mandir is now an election issue. The BJP’s strategy is very clear. They aren’t keen on getting a Supreme Court verdict on the matter. They want to come out with an ordinance a few months before we 2019 polls begin, and use that as a ploy to show they care about the Mandir. The ordinance will go to vote in Parliament when there will be hardly any time to vote on it; in fact, they might even come out with an ordinance once the session is over.
The BJP has planned everything well in advance. The Korean first lady’s visit is only one of the steps in this greater plan. The election won’t be fought between Rahul and Modi—it will be posed as a fight between those who want a Ram Mandir and those who don’t.
Yogi Adityanath wants to show that the facelift he gave to Ayodhya is attracting foreign dignitaries
Sharat Pradhan
Senior journalist
No political party other than the BJP is more adept in the skills of giving anything a religious twist, especially if it can serve the party’s Hindutva agenda.
I am, therefore, least surprised at the party leadership’s effort to even take advantage of the Korean first lady Kim Jung-sook’s visit to the ancient temple town of Ayodhya this Diwali.
With the Supreme Court showing no hurry to expedite the Ayodhya dispute, the saffron brigade is really desperate to keep the issue burning so that it can be used to influence voters in poll-bound states.
It is believed that the Korean first lady’s visit was timed to suit UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s plan to exploit Ayodhya in various ways. It is not a mere design to establish Lord Ram’s Ayodhya, which was already on the international tourist map, but to impress that the facelift given to Ayodhya by the saffron-clad chief minister was attracting foreign dignitaries. Sure enough, the common man is least concerned about the legendary ancient connection of Korea with the temple town of UP.
After all Kim Jung-sook’s visit was planned in response to an invitation extended by Yogi Adityanath, who in 2017 started a new practice of putting up a massive ‘deep-utsava’ along the ‘Ram ki paidi’ banks of the Saryu river to mark ‘chhoti Diwali’. Last year, when the event took place for the first time, he even invited the Guinness Book of Records to record it and claimed the lighting of a record number of 187,213 diyas.
All set to take the figure to 200,000 this time, the organisers have been told to create a memorable spectacle for the Korean first lady, who was being fed with pamphlets and brochures that talk about Ram’s temple. Meanwhile, all eyes are on Yogi Adityanath, who has, of late, begun talking about bringing some “good news” on his Diwali visit to Ayodhya.
Strengthening Ram Mandir cause not primary objective of Korean first lady’s visit
Surendra Jain
Leader, VHP
The visit of Korean first lady to Ayodhya has a very specific relevance and must be understood in that context. Korea has had an important historic relationship with India, especially with Ayodhya. Some 2,000 years ago, princess Suriratna from Ayodhya had travelled to Korea to marry King Kim Suro and became a queen. I don’t think this particular celebration happening today has anything to do with Ram Janmabhoomi per se. That said, strengthening the cause of building a Ram Mandir could be a byproduct of the celebrations to take place. But it is most definitely not the primary objective or agenda. The demand for a Ram Mandir is stronger than ever among the masses, and these moves become important in that context.
All these measures being taken to develop Ayodhya from what used to be a sleeping city to an active and prosperous one must be appreciated. Thirty odd years ago, the city had battered roads and underdeveloped infrastructure. But today, it is thriving. The Hindus of the city are, of course, thrilled. In fact, Hindus from across the country now travel to the city to visit the many temples that have been built. It is a matter of deeply held religious sentiments and beliefs. I wouldn’t call this religious tourism; this is pilgrimage. Ayodhya is a pure and righteous land, not a tourist destination.
By Fatima Khan, journalist at ThePrint. You can follow her on twitter @khanthefatima.