Last week a prominent face of a TV news channel told me how Ayodhya was a revelation for him. His visit to the holy and currently-contentious shrine city unfolded a world of harmonious co-existence between Hindus and Muslims there. He said that it was delightful to witness instances when Hindus would attend Iftaar parties with full gusto and the Muslims would leave no stone unturned to prepare for a grand Diwali for his Hindu neighbor. Yes, it does seem unreal, if you go by the jingoism and war-mongering between the two communities, aggravated maybe by the constant ranting in our media.
But as it’s Ayodhya, we have to delve dee
per. And voila, I would not censure you if you side by the same media after this. The fact is, as far as the very sensitive issues of Ram Janmabhoomi and the Babri Masjid demolition is concerned, the people of both the communities cannot keep their emotions bottled up. Both want their side to win the impending title suit and emerge victorious morally and communally. It’s emotion for them, it’s passion unbound. It’s anger and frustration seething in them for the last 50 years or so. They dismiss senior lawyer Ram Jethmalani’s version that there should be a secular hospital or educational institution on the spot which held the Babri Masjid once, as crap. Yes, it’s Utopian. How can you ever think of satisfying the age old thirst (for ‘justice’) of the Hindus and Muslims with a mere social charity? You can’t. Ayodhya is far beyond such compensation. A bereaved mother is offered monetary compensation in India and is expected to not come complaining to the government about her son’s death in an encounter. But I doubt whether you can do the same with a Ayodhya fanatic.
Yes, it’s a good thing that the level of fanaticism and jingoism has depreciated down the years. So, today’s youth have left the issue behind and want a closure of the case. A reflection of today’s youth. The Youth Congress president, who is currently on a virtual Bharat Yatra, says he does not think the Ayodhya issue as a burning or raging or even a topical one. they know there are a number of issues left to be addressed in today’s India. Be it the debate over the food security bill or the Kashmir crisis or the danger we face internally from the Naxals or our Bilateral ties with Pakistan. They have moved on. It would not be wrong in saying that even the ones who have witnessed the demolition of the babri masjid, want the case to be closed. Some say they just want the verdict to be out, whatever it may be. It’s been a long nightmare which they want to end.
But sadly, our Judicial system is not independent, contrary to its textbook definition. The same person I was talking to also confided that he had talked to many Supreme and High court Judges and they have said that almost 98% of the Indian legal personalities are corrupt and not independent. The recent deferment of the Ayodhya verdict is politically motivated, I infer. With the mess Delhi is in currently, with the CWG fiasco (worsened by the flood situation), the Centre sure does not want the situation to worsen further. And thus, the deferment. A post-verdict clash or communal tensions can ruin the entire preparation to the Games (if we can call them preparations, that is) and can also lead to further mistrust of the UPA by the people. Who can say that the independent petitioner of the deferment of the verdict Tripathi is not a congress man? The verdict on the 28th might be postponed too. On September 30th, one of the judges of the bench which will give the verdict, will retire. Thus the men in power will be looking forward to postpone the verdict even beyond the 28th, to bring in the results after the completion of the CWG.
Politics has breached the independent and democratic fabric of our country. And it’s sad that such a verdict that holds so much importance to people affected gravely by the incident, is on hold. But sadly, in India, this is how the legal system works. My friend agreed with me and I am sure you would too.
