By D N Singh
Rahul Gandhi being blessed by Hinduvadi personalities for Bharat Jodo Yatra, spark a jitter among the BJP
Not that the slogan “ Bharat Jodo Yatra’ is antonym for the BJP but, that being spearheaded by the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi somewhere smacked of politics and a revival endeavour .
But it did go well and then some joined the Yatra but when some appreciations come the Rahul way from the other side and that too from unexpected quarters rooted in Hindutva that raises some eye-brows when with several pro-Hindutva voices praising it
To name a few important, those who expressed support for the Yatra include: chief priest of the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya, Acharya Satyendra Das, Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Champat Rai who is also the general secretary of the Ram Janmabhoomi trust, the trust’s treasurer Mahant Govind Dev Giri and Mahant Sanjay Das of the Hanuman Garhi Temple in Ayodhya.
One really does not know what explains this sudden show of support? Does it really mean warning bells for BJP as some reports have argued?
Political use of Ram Temple in Ayodhya
Let’s not misread all the voices in favour taking all the same. There are dichotomies those cannot be ignored. The names mentioned above are all from Ayodhya and broadly from a Hinduvadi worldview. However, it would not be accurate to club them all together.
For instance, Mahant Sanjay Das of Hanuman Garhi is the successor to Mahant Gyan Das, one of the most prominent priests in Ayodhya. Sanjay Das conveyed Mahant Gyan Das’ “blessings” for Rahul Gandhi and the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Though deeply committed to the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Mahant Gyan Das has often taken an independent stand on several issues and has occasionally criticised the BJP for its political use of the Ram Janmabhoomi issue.
Even before the Ayodhya verdict, Mahant Gyan Das favoured resolution of the dispute through consensus and has on occasions publicly criticised the manner in which Babri Masjid was demolished. “The temple should be built without any blemish or bloodshed,” has been his stand.
He is even known to have funded the construction of a mosque in Ayodhya.
Due to his independent stand, Mahant Gyan Das has been someone who non-BJP leaders reach out to in Ayodhya. Rahul Gandhi met Mahant Gyan Das and Mahant Sanjay Das earlier so it was no surprise that they were invited for the Bharat Jodo Yatra. Mahant Gyan Das has also praised Samajwadi Party’s Akhilesh Yadav in the past. Arvind Kejriwal also met him in 2021.
Therefore Mahant Gyan Das and Mahant Sanjay Das’ may be important individuals, no doubt. But their support for the Bharat Jodo Yatra can’t be considered representative of a larger trend in the Hindutva ecosystem. But, neither they can be dismissed as individual in essence.
Even the other important, Acharya Satyendra Das, who wrote a letter conveying his blessings to Rahul Gandhi, is a different case. The priest of the Ram Mandir, he often claims to speak on behalf of Ram Lalla after “discussions” with the deity.
Even in his letter on the Bharat Jodo Yatra, he conveyed not just his but also Ram Lalla’s blessings to Rahul Gandhi.
That was something that spoke of universal essence behind the faith and Sri Ram temple
Satyendra Das is not a rebel like Mahant Gyan Das. However, he isn’t a rubber stamp either. He was perhaps in favour of Yogi government demolishing houses of people for Ram temple that would not have augured well for the CM.
“It’s good that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is not contesting from here. I had suggested it earlier and advised that it will be better that he contest from any seat of Gorakhpur. I speak after asking Ram Lalla. I spoke with Ram Lalla’s inspiration ‘ Das has been quoted by the media.
What emerges here that just as criticism of the BJP didn’t necessarily mean a shift away from it, praising the Congress also doesn’t mean a break-up with the BJP. This would hold true of Champat Rai and Govind Dev Giri as well.
However, their support is no doubt significant as, at the very least, it signals a thaw in relations with the Congress and Rahul Gandhi. Why has this thaw taken place and what meaning should we read out of it? We’ll discuss this in the next section.
What Explain The Blessings
Now, it is not as if Rahul Gandhi or the Congress made a very direct overture to the pro-Hindutva side during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, besides sending a few invitations. However, throughout the Yatra, Gandhi has been respectful of Hindu symbols.
On 3 January, the day he resumed the Yatra in Delhi and marched towards Uttar Pradesh, Gandhi began his day from the Hanuman temple at Kashmere Gate.
That was something worth the notice by observers. He could very well have begun it from the AICC headquarters, India Gate, Rajghat or any other place of political or religious importance. However, he began it from this temple, which makes for interesting optics.
Even Champat Rai’s praise was on similar lines, “He is walking every day in harsh weather. It must be appreciated”.
The reduction in negative sentiment towards Gandhi can be seen even among lay Hindutva supporters.
