It is not a hidden fact that one of the promises that brought the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power was to build the Ram Temple at Lord Ram's birthplace in Ayodhya. However, Ayodhya, considered the fortress of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sprang a surprise when the party was defeated by the Samajwadi Party (SP) in the Lok Sabha Election 2024. Awadhesh Prasad defeated Lallu Singh by 54,567 votes in Faizabad, which houses the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. Prasad took the lead in the Dariyabad, Rudauli, Bikapur, and Milkipur assembly segments of the Faizabad parliamentary seat, while the ruling party's lead in the Ayodhya assembly segment fell to only 4,000 votes. The BJP also lost the Sultanpur, Amethi, Barabanki, and Ambedkar Nagar Lok Sabha seats of the Ayodhya division. The party's shock defeat came just four months after the consecration ceremony or 'prana pratishtha' of the Ram Lalla idol in Ayodhya's grand Ram Temple. The saffron party won the seat in 1991, 1996, 1999, 2014, and 2019.
Why did the party lose its stronghold? What were the reasons for the humiliating defeat of the saffron party in Ayodhya? Several reasons, including caste calculations, overconfidence, politics over Ram, and anger against the local MP, were attributed to the party's disastrous result in the constituency. 'Ayodhya - Lessons of Loktantra', a 30-minute documentary, seeks to answer these questions and delves into the reasons. What led to the defeat of the BJP in Ayodhya?
1. Construction projects to accommodate VIPs
The Uttar Pradesh government of the BJP demolished several houses, shops, temples, mosques, and shrines to build Ram Janmabhoomi Path and Bhakti Path. Mandir Dubey, one of the shopkeepers in Ayodhya, said that the state administration asked them to vacate the premises and assured them of an arrangement. "The ADM threatened to bring a bulldozer, and we challenged them to do it," said Dubey. He also refuted the state government's claims that they are providing a shop in exchange for the demolished shops and alleged that nobody is ready to listen to them. Dubey, who claimed to be a BJP supporter, expressed his happiness over the defeat of the party in the constituency. Narayan Maurya, another shopkeeper, said that the administration is offering them a shop in a mall for Rs 18 lakh on a 30-year lease. He also added that since the location is too far away, they won't be able to do business as there will be no customers.
Amit Yadav, a farmer from Ayodhya's Darshannagar, also raised several serious questions over the process of acquiring land and alleged that several shopkeepers were removed with little compensation. "Even Lord Ram would've patted us on the back for defeating the BJP in Ayodhya," he vehemently said.
However, Nitish Kumar, the former Ayodhya DM, defended the development work and said they planned for the future and acquired land for different projects, including an airport. "We gave around Rs 1,253 crore in compensation before carrying out the land acquisition," he added.
2. Did the government make false promises?
Pawan Gupta, another shopkeeper in Ayodhya, claimed that he only received Rs 1 lakh compensation for his demolished shop, and the government is demanding Rs 25 lakh for the new shop. Shopkeeper Pradeep Kumar also said he got a compensation of just Rs 1 lakh and alleged that the government lied to them. "The government gives lollipops. All the promises made initially were broken," he added.
Meanwhile, Ayodhya's Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said that compensation for damaged shops is given after the proper evaluation. Nitish Kumar also said that shops have been allotted to everyone transparently through a lottery.
3. Police and bureaucrats humiliated locals
Brij Kishore Pandey, another resident and shopkeeper in Ayodhya, attacked the state police and bureaucrats and claimed that they didn't listen to the victims who went to them with their complaints. Several other shopkeepers also raised similar concerns and said that officials abuse and harass them and threaten to take away their goods.
However, the former Ayodhya DM rejected the claims and again reiterated that most projects in the city have been done with 100% consent, and around 93% of people gave their approval for the airport land in Ayodhya.
4. Rs 32,000 crore for Ayodhya and no budget for other assemblies
As mentioned earlier, there are five Assembly segments in the Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency: Ayodhya, Dariyabad, Rudauli, Bikapur, and Milkipur. It has been alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government brought projects worth Rs 32,000 crore for the Ayodhya Assembly seat but completely ignored the other four Assembly segments. Residents of these four constituencies claim that there has been no development in their areas. Sonu, the dhaba owner, in Rudauli, said that the temple is not an issue in Ayodhya as no one is going to get employment from it. "People want jobs. Employment is necessary," he added.
5. Akhilesh Yadav's social engineering
Another big reason for the BJP's defeat in Ayodhya was considered to be SP leader Akhilesh Yadav's social engineering in the constituency. The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister fielded a Scheduled Castes (SCs) candidate, Awadhesh Prasad, who is a nine-time MLA, from the general seat. Yadav's PDA (Backward, Dalit, and Minority) strategy performed well in the state as he gave only 5 tickets to Yadavs and 4 to Muslims. Yadav gave 25 and 15 seats, respectively, to non-Yadav OBCs and Dalits.
"The BJP was talking about changing Bhim Rao Ambedkar's Constitution. Fundamental rights have been given to everyone. If anyone dares to change the Constitution, millions like me will be ready for any sacrifice," Prasad said.
6. Politics over Ram
"The BJP has always used Lord Ram's name for their benefit. They were hoping to ride on it to victory again this time. By partially constructing the Ram Temple, they aimed to return to power. But Ram showed that he belongs to all and resides in every heart," said Ram Das Maharaj, Mahant of Shri Kartaliya Baba Aashram. Awadhesh Prasad also attacked the BJP and added that the Ram Temple was constructed under the orders of the Supreme Court and wasn't built by the ruling party.
Satyendra Das, the main priest of Ram Mandir, said that there were massive crowds during the temple's construction and after the consecration ceremony, and it seemed as if all the devotees coming for darshan were coming for the BJP. However, they were not devoted to the BJP; they were devoted to Ram.
7. Restrictions on the residents of Ayodhya
Another reason for the defeat was credited to the restrictions on the locals of Ayodhya. Dilip Das Tyagi, Mahant of Ram Vaidehi Mandir, said, "Ayodhya residents are not being invited. Barriers are put up for them. Another big reason for the defeat of the BJP is that Ayodhya residents, including saints, are not allowed to enter Ayodhya today."
"Ayodhya locals supported and voted for the BJP for 10 years. Does their voter ID or Aadhaar card hold no value?" he asked angrily.
8. Anger against former MP Lallu Singh
Widespread anger and anti-incumbency were reported against the sitting BJP MP Lallu Singh. Brijesh Maurya, an Ayodhya shopkeeper, said they have waited for Lallu Singh for an hour and a half when they went to meet him at his house, and he hasn't visited their area even once.
"Lallu Singh said even if the people of your 5 villages don't vote, it won't matter," Maurya claimed. However, Mayor Girish Pati Tripathi said while candidates do play a role and carry symbolism, the people of Ayodhya have consistently supported the BJP beyond individuals.
9. Hindu-Muslim unity in Ayodhya
It is claimed that the Hindu-Muslim unity in Ayodhya also contributed a lot to the defeat of the BJP. "I believe that my flowers are going to a good place, whether it's at a shrine, mosque, or temple. My flowers go to hundreds of temples, including Lakshman Kila, Sadguru Sadan, Vibhuti Bhavan, Hanumant Niwas, and many others," said Anees, one of the farmers.
"The harmony and relations between Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya were strong in the past, and they remain strong today. The unity between Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya has never been broken," said Iqbal Ansari, son of one of the litigants in the Babri Masjid Case, Hashim Ansari.
