HVK Archives: Ram upstages freedom icons as rath enters UP
Ram upstages freedom icons as rath enters UP - The Telegraph
Radhika Ramaseshan
()
4 July 1997
Title: Ram upstages freedom icons as rath enters UP
Author: Radhika Ramaseshan
Publication: The Telegraph
Date: July 4, 1997
>From the word go, BJP supporters in Uttar Pradesh were crystal clear about
the agenda they had set for the part chief, Mr L.K. Advani, as his swarna
jayanti rath rolled into Ujiyar Bharoli from Buxar in Bihar. It was Ram,
Ayodhya and Hindutva.
The war cry of "Jai Shri Ram", recalling the turbulent Ram
Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid era, which the BJP had so desperately sought to
underplay in its recent urge for moderation, was revived full-throatedly as
Mr Advani entered Ballia district on the night of July 1.
The ideological fuzziness of the yatra, which sought to merge the political
messages of pre-Independence icons ranging from Subhas Chandra Bose to
Mahatma Gandhi, Ambedkar, Veer
Savarkar and Hedgewar, from radical militancy to secular liberalism, social
justice and a theocratic state, was jettisoned by the thronging crowds
which waited for hours amidst the pre-monsoon showers and oppressive
humidity to greet Mr Advani.
In the Hindi heartland, the catchword was Ram. Ironically, the yatra was
kicked off at a venue immortalising Swami Sahajanand Saraswati, an
associate of Netaji in the Indian National Army (INA) and a peasant leader
of eastern Uttar Pradesh.
The former Rajya Sabha MP and western Uttar Pradesh Dalit leader, Mr Sangh
Priya Gautam, caught popular favour. His speech, which began with
corruption, zero development and political instability, climaxed with the
call for Hindu unity as the only "defence" against the present "evils".
"The nation is in danger whenever Hindu samaj disintegrates on caste
lines," thundered Mr Gautam, quite forgetting the BJP's present obsession
with social engineering and Dalit "upliftment".
Mr Advani's speeches were filled with popular sentiment. The leitmotifs
were Ram Rajya, nationalism being synonymous with the ideals of Rama, Hindu
culture, the need for an uniform civil code and repealing Jammu and
Kashmir's special status. Fellow charioteer, Ms Uma Bharti, repeated the
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) slogan, "Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain (Call
yourselves Hindus with pride)."
The last of Mr Advani's three pledges the crowds were sworn to at the end
of each public meeting was telling.
After exhorting the crowds not to give or accept bribes, and perform each
assigned duty with honesty and integrity, the BJP chief told them not to be
swayed by any caste and sectarian consideration.
This pledge, was, however, received mutedly throughout, reflecting deep
caste divisions within Uttar Pradesh. Whatever the mood or expectations,
Mr Advani's Yatra boosted the morale of the BJP's cadres and supporters in
eastern Uttar Pradesh, where the party did not do well in the Assembly
polls. Despite varying responses - moderate in Ballia, large in Mau, where
the BJP does not have a single MLA, and overwhelming in Gorakhpur, it was
clear the local units gave their best for Mr Advani.
He, in turn, made it clear he was not aspiring to any office - be it for a
third term as BJP president despite colleagues' pressure, 'or prime
ministership.
The enthusiasm was marked en route the yatra. At every three or four
kilometres, roadside receptions were hosted. Close to midnight, as Mr
Advani headed for Ballia, there were clutches of supporters thronging the
road to greet him. Though the positive response was interpreted
differently, a common thread running through the perceptions was it helped
the BJP "rediscover" its identity in Uttar Pradesh.
After the alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), state leaders and
cadres felt the BJP was overshadowed by the dynamic Ms Mayavati, who was
out to fulfil her Dalit agenda determinedly.
If a Ballia district functionary, Mr Kameshwar Pathak, feared the BJP may
be pushed to third place if the Samajwadi Party-BSP war continued
una-bated, the official spokesman, Mr Shyam Nandan Singh, asserted the BSP
would have to lie low and let the BJP call the shots once Ms Mayavati's
tenure as chief minister ended.
The BJP's Uttar Pradesh unit chief, Mr Raj Nath Singh, felt the BJP may
lose some upper caste votes in the process. "Amidst this social churning, I
am afraid we may lose some of our traditional upper caste support," he said.
The yatra also helped overcome factionalism in the state unit. Loyalists
of Mr Kalyan Singh and Mr Kalraj Mishra worked in unison, as did the other
RSS combine constituents - the VHP and the Bajrang Dal.
Finally, the yatra spelt out the post-retirement role the combine envisaged
for Mr Advani.
He was projected as a father figure to steer the BJP through crises. Above
vested interests, in the mould of Jai Prakash Narayan. In some meetings,
the BJP chief was hailed as "Lok Nayak Advani".
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