PM’s Ayodhya speech draws criticism for invoking past hurts instead of nation-building
Prime Minister Narendra Modi often speaks about the demographic dividend that awaits India. He bases his prediction for a bright future for the country on its demographic profile, more than 50 per cent of the population of which is aged below 30 years. This is at a time when a great many nations across the world, including several developed economies, are facing the dilemma of an increasingly ageing population and a progressively declining replacement ratio.
The Prime Minister also talks of the Amrit Kaal — the 25 years from 2022 to 2047, the year in which India will celebrate 100 years of its Independence. Mr Modi has shared his vision of redoubling national efforts during these years so that India will be a developed country by their completion. The Prime Minister promises his citizens that the government he leads will do anything in its power, even rework its agenda, too, in order to guide them to prosperity.
Be that as it may, Mr Modi, however, cannot unshackle himself completely from the politics of hatred that has catapulted him to the Prime Minister’s chair. His speech at Ayodhya after hoisting the flag marking the completion of the works for the Ram temple there was, unfortunately, no call to duty for a diverse populace but an appeal to the communal feelings of a section of the people whom the Sangh Parivar has fed with its own version of history over a sustained period of time.
The Ram Mandir is a reality, but that it was built after demolishing a Mughal-era mosque is also a reality, as acknowledged by the Supreme Court. The Hindutva forces had the run of the law and the institutions which hold together our democracy before they ensured this. It was the culmination of their efforts of 30 years when it came into being in 2022, and the Prime Minister of the country consecrated it.
However, instead of prodding the people and leading them in a united effort at nation building, the Prime Minister wants to remind them of “wounds and pain of centuries”. True, history has its share of injustices but they have been perpetrated by players of all faiths and persuasion. It is one thing to learn from history and try and ensure that its bitter episodes are not repeated but it’s another to insist on attempting to ‘right’ its wrongs. India can be rebuilt not by constantly reminiscing about its past but by accepting the present warts and all and working towards a vision.
Mr Modi reminded the people about the journey of Lord Ram as depicted in the Ramayana: “Ram left his palace as a prince but returned as Maryada Purushottam.” Lord Ram, undoubtedly, is conceived by generations and geographies as an epitome of grace and detachment to power. The sad fact, however, is that the very same Maryada Purushottam is being used as a tool in the hands of his own bhakts to capture power.
The government must go back to the drawing boards to prepare the blueprint for the future. Jawaharlal Nehru, in his brilliant treatise Discovery of India, has insisted that India cannot, and need not, ignore its past. Instead, it must take the right lessons from it and make them the foundation for its future. And that is the way to make the country the rightful recipient of its so-called demographic dividend.
