With Ram Mandir nearing completion, BJP now targets Kashi, Mathura

SANTOSH KUMAR PATHAK

New Delhi, Dec 26 (IANS) The upcoming year is expected to be crucial in issues of Kashi and Mathura, which have been influencing and heating up the political temperature of India since several decades.

After the issue of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi in Mathura and Kashi's Gyanvapi reached the court, the possibility of quick resolution in these two disputes has increased.

In the 90s, the issue of Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura completely changed the political and social atmosphere of the country.

By including one of the three - the construction of the grand Ram Mandir in Ayodhya in its manifesto, the BJP pushed other political parties to a dilemma that they have been stuck in till date.

The decision to openly support the Ram Janmabhoomi movement was taken by the BJP at a party convention in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh in 1989, under the chairmanship of then National President, L.K. Advani.

Earlier, the movement for the construction of Ram Mandir was led by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP).

The political condition and direction of the country started changing rapidly after the BJP's decision.

While the political power of the saffron party started increasing, the mobilisation of other political parties against it also intensified.

There was a time when all political parties except Akali Dal and Shiv Sena, isolated the BJP on account of the party steering the movement.

The decision, however, is also responsible behind the party's dominance in the country's politics today and the reason behind a major change in the political situation of the country.

The resolution of the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute was possible because of the Supreme Court's decision and not because of political initiatives or talks by the leaders.

In 2019, by pronouncing its verdict, the Supreme Court legally cleared the way for the construction of the Ram Mandir.

The temple's construction began in 2020, after Bhoomi Pujan performed by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and is said to be completed by the end of 2023.

Champat Rai, General Secretary of Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust, recently claimed that by December, 2023, the construction of the first floor will be completed.

Since the issues of Kashi's Gyanvapi and Mathura's Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi have reached the court, it is believed that like Ayodhya, the resolution of these will be passed by the court itself.

On December 24, the local court of Mathura directed officials to conduct a survey of Shri Krishna Janmabhoomi on the lines of Kashi's Gyanvapi and prepare a map to present.

Welcoming the direction of the Mathura court, VHP working President Alok Kumar, expressed hope of resolution of the dispute and said that the truth will be exposed in the survey, which will help the court to give a fair verdict.

Kumar said that the Mathura court ordered a survey of Krishna's birthplace to be conducted, a map prepared and its report to be submitted in the next hearing.

A similar order was passed in Varanasi, which was challenged by the Intezamia committee.

The challenge was rejected by the High Court, after which the committee moved to the Supreme Court but to no avail, as it too, did not stop the survey from being conducted.

It is being said that taking lessons from the decades-long legal battle over the Ayodhya dispute and the atmosphere of communal tension prevailing in the country, both the court and the government are treading carefully and taking concrete steps this time.

It is also being expected that unlike the Ayodhya dispute, the case of Kashi and Mathura will not get entangled in the web of court hearings for decades, which is why 2023 is being considered important for the ongoing proceedings.