Ram temple being bulit on debris of mutual inter-faith accommodation, says Sikh intellectuals body

Aug 5, 2020

Chandigarh: Several Sikh intellectuals on Wednesday expressed reservations over the head of a government of a secular country laying the foundation of a Ram temple to be built at the site where Babri Masjid was demolished, saying it represents a saga of ‘triumphant Hindu Revivalism which began with the Government aiding the reconstruction of Somnath Temple in 1950s, proclaiming to initiate ‘Ram Rajya’ in India.

In a statement issued here by the Sikh Vichar manch after the Prime Minister laid down a 40-kg silver brick at the foundation, marking the beginning of the temple construction at Ayodhya, the Sikh intellectuals said, ”The building of Ram Temple on the debris of mutual inter-faith accommodation and composite culture has brought in a new Indian republic that accords official status to Brahmanic Hinduism pushing Muslims, minorities, and Dalits into periphery both politically and spatially.”

The March of Hindutva forces in name of re-enacting “Bharatiya Ancient Collective Consciousness” began with V.D Sarvarkar concretizing Indian Nationalism into ‘Brahmanic Hindu Nationalism’ whose first target became Mahatma Gandhi to be followed by a medley of riots and bloodletting of Muslims from Bhagalpur to Bombay to Bhopal to Gujarat and numerous cities and towns in North India, they said.

”Along with Muslims, the Sikhs too have been the target of Brahmanic Nationalism that began trampling the tiny Sikh Panth demanding Punjab Suba just after Independence. Instead of politically accomodating, Sikhs’ habitat, Punjab was robbed of natural resources, language, and culture. Branded as ‘anti-National’ during the 1980s, the Sikhs were subjected to bloodshed, naked State repression, and organized pogrom to crush the ‘Sikh Spirit and Unique Sikh Historical-Cultural Identity’ that has been challenging Brahmanic Varna Ashram Order –the very basis of ‘Hindu Rashtra’,” the Sikh intellectuals said in their statement.

They regreted that not only the Courts have validated Ram Temple and the media hailed it as “unprecedented homogenization of Hindu-ness”, the political parties’ too have chosen to remain silen,t with the Congress openly accepting ‘bhoomi pujan’ as grand celebration. Parinkya Gandhi tweets “(It is) an occasion for national unity, fraternity and cultural convergence”.

Signatories to the joint statement of Sikh Vichar Manch, Chandigarh are senior journalist Jaspal Singh Sidhu, Des Punjab editor Gurbachan Singh, author Ajaypal Singh Brar and former head of Punjab University Ambedkar Chair Prof Manjit Singh and Dalit leader Rajwinder Singh Rahi.

–India News Stream