As the Modi government completes nine years in office and steps into the crucial tenth year, it is the Ram temple which is set to emerge as the biggest issue in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.When the grand Ram temple is unveiled in Ayodhya in January 2024, the moment will unleash euphoria in the country and abroad.
The Ram temple will be a milestone in the history of the BJP and also mark the culmination of a movement that catapulted the party to absolute power in the country.The Ram temple has been the fulcrum of the BJP's politics since it came into being in 1980, and the party has faced some turbulent times in the temple movement in the past decades.
When the doors of the Ram temple open in 2024, it will be only the ground floor that would have been completed by then. The Ram Lalla idols would be installed there and will be opened for the public in January next year.
The temple trust is not waiting for the entire temple to be ready before opening it for the public. The first and the second floors of the temple will take another year to complete and the entire premises over 71 acres would be completed by 2025.
The BJP wants the temple to open next year so that the Lok Sabha polls can be held under the saffron hue.The opening of the temple, according to sources, will be preceded by a massive publicity blitzkrieg that will be designed to raise Hindu passions and create a frenzy of sorts for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
"The campaign preceding the opening of the temple will span over almost three months and we plan to whip up Hindu passions like never before. The opening of the sanctum sanctorum will be a slap on the faces of those who have ridiculed our slogan 'Mandir wahin banayenge'," said a BJP functionary.
He added that the Ram temple was not a fulfilment of an election promise but was a fulfilment of faith that millions had reposed in the BJP.Other constituents of the Sangh Parivar -- including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal -- are also planning programmes to create a build-up for the grand occasion.
The BJP will want to make sure that temple talk dominates the Indian political scenario in 2024 and all other issues are swept aside.The opening of the temple in early 2024 will also throw open a new Ayodhya to the people of India.
The Yogi Adityanath government expects the pilgrim footfall to go up to around one lakh devotees per day when the temple opens and the state government is working on a war footing to ensure that the holy city gets a divine look by then.
The government is preparing to simultaneously create a new Ayodhya that will, in itself, be a major tourist attraction for pilgrims."When one comes to Ayodhya to see the Ram temple, we would like them to see a new state-of-the-art city, the new Ayodhya," said a government official.
The Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up to develop Ayodhya with a mega Rs 32,000 crore plan, involving 264 projects executed by as many as 37 agencies to transform the face of Ayodhya into a global tourism and spiritual destination.
A big network of highways, roads, infrastructure, townships, grand entrance gates, multi-level parking facilities and a new airport is coming up in Ayodhya.The town is being spruced up with 264 projects worth nearly Rs 32,000 crore.
Out of them, there are 143 projects worth Rs 22,500 crore that have been identified as "priority projects", which are to be completed by 2024 when the temple opens for the public.Nearly 10 national and international studies have been conducted regarding this plan and a 'Vision 2047' has been drawn up for Ayodhya, which focuses on making it a global spiritual capital, a big tourism destination and a sustainable smart city as part of 'Brand Ayodhya'.
A free-field Vedic township, a new international airport, a redeveloped railway station, construction of new prime roads and the Saryu river development plan along with historic city circuits and heritage walks are part of this.
The BJP apparently wants people to see the magnificent Ram temple, ensconced in a New Ayodhya - both will naturally hit the headlines.The BJP has for long maintained that the temple is not about politics, but the 'faith' of millions.
In repeated elections since August 5, 2020, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi did the 'bhoomi-poojan' of the temple in Ayodhya after the Supreme Court judgement paved the way, the temple has featured in the political discourse.
Top BJP leaders have not failed to point out that in no other regime would the temple have come up.This is expected to escalate in the run-up to the 2024 general elections as the temple becomes a reality and emerges before the people.
Also, the Congress and the Samajwadi Party would be attacked for derailing the temple's construction for years.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has visited the temple site almost every month since he came to power in 2017 and has been personally supervising the development work.
A senior BJP functionary said, "While the 2019 Lok Sabha election narrative was about surgical strikes, the Ram temple will become the big narrative in the 2024 general elections."And this is something that no political party in the country can deny or derail.