Ram Temple: RSS-BJP will be ruled by capitalist-communal fascist forces, says CPI Gen Sec

The Left parties continued to target the Centre and the Sangh Parivar over making the ground-breaking ceremony of Ram Temple in Ayodhya an official function “with the Prime Minister laying the foundation for the temple with the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Governor in attendance.”

CPI (M) mouthpiece People’s Democracy said in an editorial that Wednesday’s function marks an important stage in the political project of Hindutva. It said the building of a Ram temple at the site where the Babri Masjid stood was a centerpiece of Sangh Parivar’s mobilising strategy to shape a Hindu majoritarian State. “For the BJP-RSS combine, the Ram temple project is a matter of national honour setting right the so-called wrong committed in the historical past against the Hindus. Ram is not just a deity but a national symbol,” the editorial said.

‘A republic nation is not necessaily secular’

It said the temple construction will be welcomed by a large number of Hindus for whom faith in Lord Ram is paramount. “However, there is another grim reality the character of the Indian Republic is changing. The term ‘republic’ (which means a government of the people, not a monarchy) does not necessarily mean it is secular. The Islamic Republic of Iran, for instance, derives its legitimacy from Islamist ideology. The State of Israel, aspires to be a Jewish State reducing its Arab population to second class citizens. In India, the political project of converting India into a Hindu majoritarian republic has scored a significant success with the construction of the Ram temple. And there has been no punishment for those who who brazenly violated the law and the Constitution by an act of vandalism that destroyed the mosque,” the editorial noted.

It said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s talk of brotherhood and unity is hypocritical after the divisive and violent course the temple movement has taken. “The merging of State, politics and religion is something which was flaunted by Modi in Ayodhya. What a contrast to the stand taken by India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, regarding the construction of the Somnath temple in Gujarat. He denied any State funds for the purpose and conveyed his objection to Presiden Rajendra Prasad inaugurating the temple. The principle he stood for was clear and simple: a secular State cannot patronise or fund the construction of a religious place of worship,” the CPI(M) mouthpiece said.

It added that for Congress leaders and some secular politicians who are now joining the chorus of celebrations on the Ram temple being built and publicly espousing their faith in Ram, the symbolism of holding the event on August 5, is a warning. “If they adopt this opportunistic approach, it will only facilitate those who want to establish a Hindu Rashtra,” the editorial said.

‘Working class under attack’

CPI’s general secretary D Raja said that only the corporate houses, national and international are jubilant over the developments of India today. “Using the pandemic as smoke screen, the Modi government has been handing over the whole economy and resources for their plunder and loot. The working people in both formal and informal sectors are already under attack,” he said.

Going by the experience of various countries, the new India of RSS-BJP combine is going to be ruled by corporate capitalist-communal fascist forces, he added. ‘This is a challenging time for the Left in particular and democratic forces in general. The CPI and Left should be in the forefront in challenging and fighting these right wing fascist forces ideologically and politically. The Republic of India should be saved before it is lost completely,” he added.

Raja said the Sangh Pariwar is taking every step to indoctrinate and intimidate the people who express their descent and question the policies of the government creating an illusion about a new India. “They make all efforts to condition the very thinking of the people using social media and others which are at their command. In the new India which they want to create, the working people, the Dalits, Adivasis and the poor will not have voice. They will be treated as just subjects to be ruled. The activists and political Parties will be subjected to repression and their voices will be strangulated,” he claimed.