Beyond Ayodhya

BJP must now move on and build an inclusive India

A decades-old dispute and the fight by the Sangh Parivar was finally settled when Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for a Ram temple at Ayodhya on the site of the Babri Masjid, which was destroyed in 1992. Inevitably, the event has been an opportunity for triumphal celebration by those who subscribe to the brand of religious majoritarianism. In that context, the prime minister’s speech at the inaugural ceremony partially reflected this understanding. When Mr Modi said a grand temple would now be built for “our Ram Lalla, who has been living under a tent for many years”,