Chicago – January 01, 2023
On January 24, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate Ayodhya’s new Lord Ram Temple, which will be built on the site of the 16th-century Babri Mosque, demolished by Hindu extremists more than three decades ago.
Muslim residents in the city have been leery of the city’s increased religious fervour, recalling the tragic riots that accompanied the demolition.
For many others, however, the project represents restoring Ayodhya to the glory depicted in ancient Hindu writings and proof of Modi’s dedication to safeguarding India’s majority faith just months before national elections.
Modi’s presence at the inauguration is the first salvo in his re-election campaign in 2024. His Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has long advocated for the construction of a temple on the site, and its activists were involved in the mosque’s demolishment.
A mob demolished the mosque in 1992, sparking another round of rioting across the country that killed 2,000 people, predominantly Muslims. Its demise dealt a hammer blow to India’s secular political order, paving the way for Hindu nationalism to rise to become the country’s main political force.
The land had been inactive for decades before a Supreme Court order in 2019 allowed the Ram temple to be built.
