Prime minister walks a fine line on ayodhya

There’s no equivalence between the two, one is an issue of ‘gender rights’ and the other of ‘faith’. Making this distinction, Prime Minister Narendra Modi sought to explain why his government is pushing for a ban on triple talaq, but not supporting the entry of women of all ages at Sabarimala. But the ordinance on talaq-e-biddat, which seeks to criminalise the unjust practice of summary divorce among Muslims, became a constitutional-legal reference point for the demand for an ordinance to build a temple in Ayodhya, raised by the RSS and its affiliates. 

The prime minister’s words, in his latest interview, helped clarify one thing: that an executive/parliamentary intervention on Ayodhya can only happen after the judicial pronouncement. He cited the triple talaq ordinance, which could be taken up only after the courts had adjudicated on it. But while walking the tightrope of constitutional propriety, Modi seemed to hold out the hope that his government would intervene and take full responsibility on the mandir once the apex court completes its proceedings, and cited the BJP manifesto here.

Lest his government is blamed for not moving on an old promise at a time when the BJP rules both in Uttar Pradesh and at the Centre, the prime minister hinted subtly at an early judicial outcome, provided the ‘Congress lawyers’ did not adopt legal tactics to delay a decision. The latter party was squarely to be blamed for the “70 years’ delay” in the resolution of the matter, he seemed to suggest. 

Court rulings apart, Ayodhya has been a political call for the last three decades. The pressure on Modi now is akin to what Atal Bihari Vajpayee went through at the end of his tenure. Sure enough, the Sangh, after duly welcoming his clarification, has upped the ante. We may err on the side of optimism and hope the atmosphere on the ground is not aggravated just because a general election looms.