Netaji would have been horrified at the State’s extravaganza and triumphalism of the Ayodhya Temple event

23-Jan-24 Satya Narayana Sahu‘s article in NewsClick is a must read for right-wingers and acolytes of Mr Modi

Right-wingers display little knowledge of true history. They have revived the discredited two-nation theory the British invented to divide and rule India. Satya Narayana Sahu’s article brings this fact out clearly. Modi-Shah of course flog it for electoral gains. Also Mr. Modi and his followers have played up differences between Subhas Chandra Bose and contemporary INC leaders. But do they know what he would have said about the just concluded Ram Temple event choreographed to hype up one man’s image? The temple consecration was virtually a State event – the Temple Trust played second fiddle and it sidelined all others, including religious seers. All photos and clips released focus on Mr. Modi, scarcely does anyone else appear in these.

Read here.

While all the ordinary folks struggled to enter Ayodhya Temple on 22-Jan-24, the consecraton day, the special invitees of the Trust (read PMO) included all the rich and famous.

How ironical it was, is best illustrated in this song from a Hindi movie:

“Woh Khet Mein Milega | Bass Enhanced | Mahendra Kapoor | Manoj Kumar | Yaadgaar, 1970”

25-Jan-24 Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay writes in Decaan Herald that while Mr. Modi played the role of main “yajman”, some concession was made for three others to appear near him during the consecration ceremony. Two were State functionaries, one the CM of U.P, second the Governor of the State and the third was the RSS Sarsanghchalak – the boss, Mohan Bhagwat – this was a concession obviously made by Mr. Modi. Though, in the hierarchy of RSS. Sarsanghchalak ranked above Modi who is merely a “pracharak”! Was this event one of State, Culture (RSS claims to be a cultural organisation) or Religion (Temple Trust was supposed to be conducting the event)? Read here