BJP plans to gain advantage from the revival of the Babri Masjid demolition case against senior party leaders. Various efforts are being taken by the party to keep the revival alive. Fresh round of dialogues with Muslim leaders and requesting the court to expedite the Ram Janmabhoomi title dispute case are few of them.
A special CBI court in Lucknow had framed charges against BJP veterans L K Advani, M M Joshi, Union Minister Uma Bharti and nine others in the 1992 Babri mosque demolition case, on Tuesday.
A senior party insider said that, “The perception that BJP can dispense with these party veterans as they are past their peak is misplaced. The Ram temple issue is a very emotive issue and any step by the party to distance itself from these leaders will cost BJP dear as public opinion will go against us. While keeping the temple issue simmering, the party cannot abandon its leaders who were part of the movement.”
Though the party has denied any connection between the recent visit of Yogi Adityanath to Ayodhya and the revival of the Babri Masjid Case, privately an party insider has confirmed well planned strategy behind the visit. Yogi’s visit to Ayodhya is also being considered as message to make people aware that the chief minister is more than just a “Thakur leader”. “We will ensure that Yogiji is not seen as a Thakur leader. He is a swami who belongs to all Hindus,” a senior central office-bearer of the BJP said.
BJP spokesperson Bizay Sonkar Shastri said that the government in Uttar Pradesh has a crucial role to play in ensuring that a grand Ram temple is built there. He is a prominent Dalit face and was also present in Ayodhya on the day when Babri Masjid was demolished.