With paucity of ideas, the VHP supported by Sangh Parivar including BJP attempted to launch an 84-kosi-parikrama yatra in Ayodhya from August 25 to September 13 passing through communally sensitive areas of Faizabad, Barabanki, Gonda, Ambedkarnagar, Basti and Bahraich. Thanks to the strong handling of the situation by the Akhilesh Yadav government, Yatra had fizzled out even before it took off. It was not only the people of UP but also the Sants in the temple who cold- shouldered the attempt. The Sants who were to join the Yatra from Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and other places have not started their journey. Only some local Sants had participated.

The communal politics directly affects SP, BJP, Congress and BSP – the four important players in UP politics. Both BJP and SP who are playing communal politics should realize that 2013 is anything but 1992. Things have changed, perceptions have changed, new voters have come into existence and people have moved on.

While BJP is looking for Hindu votes, the other three are vying for the 18 per cent Muslim votes. To achieve this goal all is fair in the electoral battle. It is rumored that BJP and SP have arrived at a pact which the Congress calls a ”match fixing”. BJP has targeted to get at least 60 seats from both Bihar and UP while SP is aiming to get the maximum with the Muslim votes. Eyebrows were raised when SP chieftain Mulayam Singh and chief minister Akhilesh Yadav met VHP leaders on August 17 before the Yatra. Was the deal struck at that time?

Secondly, the UP government did not use brute force and handled the affair very carefully. The government has made extraordinary security arrangements making sure that people did not come out. VHP too did not go for any confrontation.

Thirdly, from the Parivar’s side it was a low-key drama with their leaders courting arrest and going thus far and no further. There were no fiery speeches and VHP was happy to merely stoke the fire. Perhaps this was an agreed political fight to remain relevant in UP and elsewhere. Perhaps both BJP and SP don't want major clashes, which would dent their image in the eyes of voters.

BJP’s new campaign chief Modi might have supported this temple issue as he is keen to get the maximum number of seats from UP in the 2014 polls. The opposition to the yatra will mobilise the Hindu voters and bolster support for Modi. Perhaps to confuse the voters, the party is speaking with a forked tongue. On the one hand Modi talks of his Gujarat model of development while proclaiming that he that he is a Hindu nationalist. For the BJP, even if all Muslims vote for the SP, the party would win more seats and the Congress fewer. In 2009, the Congress had got 21 seats and the BJP 10 in UP. If this plan works, this could be reversed.

The ruling SP is afraid of losing its Muslim votes to the Congress, which is planning to make the poor governance in UP as its poll plank. The image of his party as well as the UP government is sagging in the past one year, and it would be advantage Mulayam to show that his party remains steadfast to Muslims who voted for him overwhelmingly in 2012 polls. SP’s move was quick and calculated to polarize the Mulsims in favor of it and to even boost Mulayam Singh’s national dreams. The SP chief knows that the more BJP and the Parivar accuse him of being communal, the better for consolidation of his vote bank. At the same time, Mulayam also cleverly sent out a message that the UP government only wanted to maintain communal harmony and not against the Hindus. Mulayam Singh’s defensive speech this week in Parliament defending that he was only implementing the Supreme Court order was eloquent. If this gamble pays off, then SP would be the gainer. In any case, the UP government got good marks for handling the sensitive issue.

As far as Congress is concerned, it is worried about how to maintain its 2009 tally of 21, which was a big boost to the party. It was mostly because of Muslim voters, disenchanted with SP turned towards Congress. Congress is simply watching the developments keeping its fingers crossed that their game plan would fail.

BSP was hoping that the Akhilesh government might bungle in the handling of the yatra so that the Muslim votes would come to it. It also thinks all the Muslim votes may not go to SP. It is too early for BSP to give up hopes as it won 20 per cent of the Muslim votes in the 2012 elections despite losing the government.

What should worry is this dangerous communal politics, which is raising its head once again. It is the price rise and inflation, which affect them more than building of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. Certainly hunger precedes religion. When will the political parties realize that the voters are now looking to a better life and how to meet both ends meet! (IPA Service)