States: Uttar Pradesh; Back to the Past

India Today
Nov 16,1998

UTTAR PRADESH
Back to the Past

The state BJP Government tries to revive the temple issue by erecting a memorial to "Ayodhya martyrs".

By Farzand Ahmed

Martyrs memorial in Lucknow Rajajipuram, located in the heart of Lucknow, has all of a sudden turned into another pilgrimage centre for Ram bhakts. On the night of October 30, amid much fanfare, Uttar Pradesh Urban Development Minister Lalji Tandon unveiled a towering black granite-and-marble memorial inside a small roundabout to glorify the "martyrdom" of the Kothari brothers -- Ram Kumar (21) and Sharad (19) of Calcutta -- who died in police firing during the kar seva in Ayodhya on October 30 and November 2, 1990.

"The brothers had sacrificed their lives for the construction of the Ram mandir at Ayodhya. The memorial will inspire the young generation and remind the people that state power can never deter the brave from achieving their goals," thundered Tandon.

Controversy soon erupted, primarily over the decision of the city municipal corporation -- the Lucknow Nagar Nigam (LNN) -- to erect a memorial. Mayor S.C. Roy defended the memorial, saying "the two brothers had laid down their lives at a tender age for a noble cause and since the people of the area wanted to cherish their martyrdom, the LNN, an autonomous body, had constructed it".

Predictably, the Opposition was up in arms. State Samajwadi Party chief Ram Sharan Das called it yet another "criminal act" of the BJP Government to glorify those whose actions led to communal violence and social disturbances. Das also declared that if his party returned to power in the state it would demolish all symbols of communal hatred. Congress Legislature Party leader Pramod Tiwary described the memorial as "shameful", saying it was improper to build monuments in the name of those killed while violating the Constitution and law. In reply, Tandon argues, "Unarmed people dying for their faith are martyrs."

What has also raised the hackles of the opposition parties is the timing of the memorial -- coming as it does in the wake of the nation-wide debate over the Centre's subtle attempt to "Indianise and nationalise" the education system in the country. Many see the move as yet another ploy to further communalise the state and use it as a laboratory for the implementation of the RSS' hidden agenda.

The Opposition's fears are not totally unfounded. Already, several controversial moves are underway in Uttar Pradesh: a number of textbooks and proposed reading material was being drafted by the Sangh Parivar with the aim of inculcating Hindu religious consciousness and pride among schoolchildren; a new series of class VI textbooks -- called Sanskar Saurav -- contains a chapter titled "The Martyrs of November 2"; Chief Minister Kalyan Singh's Government is all set to overhaul primary education in the state from the next academic session and for a start has introduced the recitation of Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram in government-run primary and junior high schools.

However, murmurs of protest have started even within Kalyan's coalition ministry. Minority Welfare Minister Raja Ghazanffar Ali Khan -- the lone Muslim minister, belonging to the Jantantrik BSP -- felt that recitation of Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram "hurts the sentiments of other communities, especially Muslims". But Minister of State for Basic Education Ravindra Shukla brushes aside such protests saying, "We have not made this compulsory in minority institutions and missionary schools." Many see in this a clear message to those who didn't like the Vandana to withdraw their wards from government schools and enrol them in minority institutions.

Even as the debate over the glorification of Ayodhya "martyrs" and recitation of Saraswati Vandana and Vande Mataram rages, a new controversy has erupted in Ayodhya itself. This one centres on the Faizabad Municipality's move to restrict burial to just two graveyards in Ayodhya. Babri Action Committee Convener Zafaryab Jilani sees it as yet another attempt by the Sangh Parivar to harass and humiliate Muslims in the area. If the Government failed to intervene before it was too late, he warned, the situation might turn ugly.

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