Once the nation had to pay dearly because of the ‘Mask and the face’ formula indulged by the Sangh Parivar. Babri Mosque was demolished on December 6, 1992 by religious fanatics. Demolition of the said structure was the result of a high-pitch campaign launched by Sangh Parivar for a prolonged period. Efforts were made to prevent the Parivar from doing so. Appeals were made to wait for the final judgement of the court. But all such initiatives had fallen in to deaf ears. In a hurry to grab power, Sangh Parivar took the campaign to such a height till the agitation of constructing a Ram Temple replacing the disputed structure went to the hands of fanatics and hooligans. As a result, ignoring the top leadership of the Sangh, fanatics and hooligans brought down mosque to dust. Some smelled conspiracy the manner in which the mosque was demolished. But after years of the demolition, it is now almost clear that there was no conspiracy behind the pulling down of the mosque. It happened when the so called leadership of the Parivar could not control the mob. Perhaps leaders of the Sangh Parivar never heard the proverb that ‘it is easy to ride a tiger, but difficult to dismount.’ The Parivar thought that for years they would be able to garner the support the people in the name of Ram Mandir, without realising that in the process they were actually creating a ‘Frankenstein’.
Now after years of the Babri Mosque demolition, once again the Sangh Parivar has started indulging in a similar hate campaign about Taj Mahal. Their contention is that historic monument was built after demolishing a Hindu temple. People in power are often issuing statements threatening to establish their rights over the land and the monument. Situation was deteriorating so fast that Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath had to visit Agra and claimed the Taj to be a part of Indian culture as it was built by the labourers of the soil. Quite interestingly, both the sides belong to Sangh Parivar. So the people are perplexed about whom to believe? Different tunes within the same family are not unusual. But in this case it is clear that this is being done keeping a particular design in mind. Three and a half years ago, Sangh Parivar after seven decades of Independence has finally succeeded in capturing power with a clear majority. They were voted to power as they promised development. Many regarded it as a marked departure from the Sangh’s original agenda of Hindutwa. But as development has gone mad not only in Gujrat, but also all over the country, Sangh has once again decided to revert back to its original agenda. To make this transition smooth, the Parivar has once again adopted the same ‘Mask and the Face’ formula. Remember the days when leaders like Atal Bihari Vajpayee used to talk about pluralism of India and L. K. Advani along with other members of Sangh Parivar kept of raising the demand of constructing a Ram Temple at Lord Ram’s birthplace. This time too, while Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister is assuring to protect the monument of love, people from his own party are threatening to rewrite the history.
Demolition of the Babri Mosque is a permanent blot on the secular credential of our country. We should learn a lesson from that demolition. But, if people in power continue to play a double game over Taj, India will forever lose its secular character. The uniqueness of India will be lost forever. So an appeal to those who once burnt their fingers falling to observe restraint during the Ram Janambhoomi movement, don’t’ play with fire once again.
