At a glance: Babri demolition that changed the course of Indian politics

New Delhi, Jun 1: Certain events become milestones in the history of a nation. The history of independent India has its own share of turning points and the demolition of Babri Mosque-Ram Janmabhoomi complex is definitely one of them. The demolition of Babri Mosue-Ram Janmabhoomi on December 6, 1992 changed the course of Indian polity once and for ever. In terms of electoral polarization, Indian polity can easily be divided into pre- and post- Babri demolition era. Ayodhya, as we all know, is regarded as the birth place of Lord Ram who is revered by HIndus as the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu. It is said that a temple existed at the place where Sri Ram was born. It is alleged that Babri Masjid was constructed in 1528 by Mir Baqi, an army general of Babur, who had invaded India, by demolishing that Ram temple although historical proof to substantiate the charge is yet to be established. Baburnama , the diary of Babur, could have resolved the dispute but unfortunately, some pages of this diary belonging to the period when the Ram temple was allegedly demolished are missing. Otherwise, we would have got a clear account of whether any existing temple was demolished or not. In 1853, a communal clash was reported for the first time that related to the possession of the disputed land. In 1859, the Britsh government erected a fence around the site and denominated separate areas of worship for both Hindus and Muslims. This arrangement continued for about 90 years. In December 1949, Ram idols were placed inside the sanctum sanctorum and both Hindus and Muslims filed civil suits. The government locked the gates, saying the matter was sub-judice and declared the area ‘disputed'. In 1986, a district judge ordered the gates of the mosque to be opened allowed Hindus to worship inside the disputed structure. In the same year, Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) was formed by Muslim groups to oppose the permission granted to the Hindus. In 1989, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, a frontal organization of RSS, laid the foundations of the Ram temple on land adjacent to the disputed structure. Sensing an electoral opportunity, the right wing BJP promised to build the Ram temple at the disputed land made the promise a part of its electoral manifesto. The Ram temple construction was already on the agenda for RSS affiliates like VHP and Bajrang Dal. Therefore, the construction of Ram temple became the main agenda of all RSS-affiliated organizations in 1990s. Veteran BJP leader L K Advani launched a ‘Rath Yatra' from ‘Somnath' to Ayodhya in September 1990 to create awareness among masses on Ram Janmabhoomi movement. Advani's yatra could not be completed as he was arrested in Bihar by the Lalu Prasad government. On December 6, 1992, lakhs of Karsevakas assembled in Ayodhya purportedly for a symbolic start of the construction of Ram Mandir at the disputed land. Prominent BJP leaders like L K Advani, M M Joshi, Uma Bharti and Vijaya Raje Scindia were present there. The frenzied crowd went out of control and they demolished the 16th century mosque. The BJP and VHP leaders say that the demolition was not planned and the crowd went out of control, all of a sudden. But the critics allege that the BJP and VHP had planned the demolition well in advance in collusion with the then BJP government in UP headed by Kalyan Singh. The demolition resulted in widespread communal violence across the country. And it's not that electorate was not divided on religious lines before Dec 6, 1992 but the degree of polarization reached its zenith for the first time after partition of the country. After 1992, Indian politics has been caught in the polemical debates on secularism Vs communalism. Parties like Congress and Communists accuse BJP of practicing ‘communal' politics while the BJP accuses its political opponents of following ‘Pseudo secularism ‘ that is bases on appeasement of minorities especially Muslims. And this secularism vs pseudo- secularism debate has become an important feature of Indian politics since the demolition of Babri Masjid. Nowadays, parties join hands in the name of defending secularism and break away in the name of protecting secularism. It'll not be wrong to say that the issue has become a political football that every party is playing according to its own convenience.