Ram Mandir ceremony poses bigger challenge for opposition ahead of 2024 Lok Sabha elections
Pran Pratistha ceremony of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya's half constructed Ram Mandir was paradigmatic of the Bakhtin described de-stabilization or reversal of power structures, as happens in traditional forms of carnival. However, the evident urgency of the consecration ceremony that could potentially seal a third term win for the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) could also frame a bigger challenge for the opposition INDIA bloc now.
The challenge to the opposition in India only magnified from the 2019 Supreme Court decision to 2020 Bhoomi Pujan by PM Narendra Modi to the 2024 Pran Pratistha ceremony. The 22 January ceremony could pave the way for a new chapter in national politics, when the Prime Minister of a constitutionally secular nation led India to celebrate Ram Lalla, while Muslims were beaten up in other parts of the country.
The Pran Pratistha ceremony saw a calmer Rashtriya SwayamSevak Sangh (RSS), while Mohan Bhagwat was seated right next to PM Modi during the ceremony. “Lord Ram has returned to Ayodhya after 500 years": this remained the general fervor of the ceremony and of many who celebrated across the country.
The ceremony remained a resplendent message that there would be an unprecedented Hindutva surge amid statements of reconciliation from Sangh Parivar leaders who were once seen to occupy the “fringe" of mainstream Indian politics. 22 January saw a state holiday in UP, and also a half day for Central government employees – the state came across as having the kind of intimacy with religious rituals that it rarely had since independence.
Since Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, the Opposition INDIA bloc has only put forth a strong opposition to the Ram Mandir movement. In 1989,
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