Rationalist and writer K.S. Bhagavan has said the Ram temple at Ayodhya need not be built at the disputed site, and that it should remain with the Union government as a national property.
Urging the Supreme Court-appointed mediation committee in the Ayodhya title dispute to read the Valmiki Ramayana, Mr. Bhagavan asked how one could describe Ram’s kingdom as ‘Rama Rajya’ when it was against the working class and women.
“Welfare state, it is unnecessarily made much of because Rama was not ruling. His brother Bharatha was ruling in the name of Rama,” Mr. Bhagavan, author of Rama Mandira Yake Beda (Why we do not need the Ram Temple), told The Hindu on the sidelines of a national seminar on rationalism organised by Yukthivada Padanakendram (rationalist study centre) held here on Saturday.
Maintaining that Rama was against the working class, Mr. Bhagavan said he killed Shambuka, a person from the Shudra caste. “How can we say it was Rama Rajya when a man who was working hard to produce wealth for the country was killed for practising penance?” he asked.
On who will come to power at the Centre this time, Mr. Bhagavan said nobody could predict the results now. “We are not sure of the BJP coming back. The present BJP-led government is not good for democracy. It did not run as per the directives of the Constitution. Therefore, I appeal to the people of India to restore their thought and uphold the great principles of equality, liberty, and social justice,” he said.
On death threats from religious fundamentalists, Mr. Bhagavan said he was not afraid of them. “Why should I when I am speaking the truth?” he asked.