Some political parties and leaders have decided to boycott the inauguration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, UP, on January 22 next year. They see it as a political Hindutva event rather than a religious ceremony that is dear to the hearts of crores of Hindus.
Analysts say that some INDI Alliance partners are getting it wrong by boycotting the event. Indirectly, they are helping the BJP and Narendra Modi seem more pro-Hindu than they are. "Some leaders in the Opposition have converted the inauguration of Ram Mandir, which otherwise would have passed relatively uneventfully, into a political win for BJP. By boycotting the inauguration, parties are digging themselves into a Ravana-sized hole ahead of 2024," writes columnist Minhaz Merchant.
Already, a section of the pro-BJP media is trying to build the narrative that the Congress party is not keen on the event. "Why is Sonia Gandhi not keen to go to the Mandir?" asked popular journalist Arnab Goswami, whose shows draw high TRPs.
Another commentator said that the anti-BJP parties don't want to lose Muslim votes. "Anyways, a lion's share of Hindu votes in the Hindi heartland will go to the BJP in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The Congress is getting Muslim votes en masse in Karnataka and Telangana. It might become stronger in a few other States with the backing of the Muslim vote," a commentator said.
