As the much-awaited Bhoomi pujan ceremony of the Ram Mandir approaches, marking the culmination of the long-drawn battle to reclaim the abode of Lord Rama, it is worth drawing attention towards those who had wanted the police to fire bullets on the karsevaks gathered in Ayodhya, apparently, in a bid to protect the secularism of the country.
Days leading to December 6, 1992, thousands of karsevaks, harbouring the dream of getting the Ram Janmabhoomi back flocked to Ayodhya and protested against the disputed structure that symbolised centuries of Muslim tyranny and oppression. On December 6, 1992, a raft of restive karsevaks stormed the premises of the disputed structure, scaled its heights and razed to ground the buildings that were claimed by Hindus as illegal construction over the hallowed Ram Janmabhoomi. The Supreme Court had recently upheld that notion and granted the disputed site of Ayodhya to Hindu for building a magnificent Ram Mandir.
However, while the preparations for the bhoomi pujan in Ayodhya is on the anvil, it is pertinent to reflect upon an important interview of the then UP CM Kalyan Singh. Singh had become an object of scorn of the liberal establishment for ‘allowing’ the karsevaks to demolish the controversial structure and seemingly cause a dent in the pluralism of the country. In the aftermath of the demolition, Singh’s government was sacked and President’s rule was imposed in Uttar Pradesh.
Years later, an NDTV journalist interviewing Kalyan Singh raised aspersions on the wisdom of the former UP CM, asking him if it was wise to save lives of thousands of karsevaks at the expense of “dividing the country”.
In an interview with NDTV in 2009, Kalyan Singh said, “Lakhs of karsevaks were present at the site but I had given explicit orders to the police that no bullets will be fired at them. He elaborated that doing otherwise would have led to the death of 1000s of people. He emphasised, “If I had allowed it to happen, thousands of people would have died from bullets and stampede, and the structure still wouldn’t have survived.”
However, Kalyan Singh’s unapologetic response possibly raised the hackles of the NDTV reporter who questioned Singh’s decision of not letting police fire bullets on the karsevaks gathered around the Babri structure. “You decided to divide crores of people for saving lives of just a few thousands of karsevaks?,” the NDTV journalist asked.
NDTV anchor suggests Kalyan Singh should have passed orders to slaughter 1000s of Hindus
The question posed by the NDTV reporter revealed that the concept of secularism was more important to him than the value of thousands of human lives. It exemplifies the partisanship that NDTV has come to be associated with, where cosseting a particular community is a matter of utmost consideration, even if that entails the loss of thousands of Hindu lives. The NDTV anchor felt no compunction in suggesting former UP CM Kalyan Singh to have ordered deaths of a few thousand Hindus so that the Muslim community can be appeased.
Calling out the anchor’s fearmongering, Singh sharply noted that even after 17 years of the incident, the demolition had not divided the people as claimed by the journalist. He further added that he has no regret, remorse, or guilt for the demolition of the controversial structure.
“I am not sorry for the demolition of the structure. Nor do I feel any contrition for it. No regrets, no repentance, no sorrow, no grief. Following the demolition of the controversial structure, many regard the event as a matter of national shame but I say that it is a matter of national pride,” Singh added.
Kalyan Singh likely to visit Bhoomi pujan ceremony of Ram Temple
Singh, 88, in his recent interview, claimed that he is proud of his decision to not allow the police to open fire on the karsevaks in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Singh added that it was the demolition of the disputed structure that paved the way for the Ram Temple bhoomi pujan scheduled on August 5. Singh further added that he wished to see Ram Mandir come up in Ayodhya before his death and take rebirth in the temple town once again.
Singh, who also served as the Governor of Rajasthan, said that the construction of a Ram Mandir in Ayodhya would lead to more tourism and ensure the development of the city. Singh is expected to reach Ayodhya on August 4, a day before the bhoomi pujan ceremony is scheduled to be held.
In a freewheeling interview, Singh reiterated his stance, saying that he had no remorse over the demolition of the structure in Ayodhya. He cited Mir Baqi’s demolition of Ram Temple in 1528 as an instance by a Muslim invader trying to humiliate the local Hindu population.
“May be it was destined to happen under my rule. Had there been no demolition, probably the courts too would have ordered status quo. So, it was the demolition that actually has paved the way for the August 5 bhoomi pujan and naturally, I am delighted,” Singh said.
