Ram temple consecration: Keeping up secular credentials, Kerala sings a different tune

The lead headline in Deshabhimani, the Malayalam mouthpiece of the ruling CPI(M), read ‘Vote Pratishtha’, implying that what happened in Ayodhya on Monday was politics rather than faith.

Political religion

“Dragging Lord Ram, whom a majority revers as God, to the election arena, Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat did the consecration of the temple in Ayodhya, even before it was fully constructed,” the daily reported.

“The Prime Minister went on to declare that India would be transformed to a theocratic state as envisaged by the RSS,” it added.

Janayugom, the mouthpiece of the Communist Party of India (CPI), had a hard-hitting page one title: “Assassination of secularism.”

Other media

Other Malayalam newspapers, including Madhyamam, run by the Jamaat-e-Islami, came up with front pages that were in line with the mainstream narrative about the temple consecration.

The ruling Left Front made it clear what its election strategy would be, by sticking to the secular credentials. Veekshanan, the mouthpiece of the Congress, chose to coin the phrase “Consecration of Political Rama” for its screaming headline. In contrast, the Indian Union Muslim League’s Chandrika attempted to downplay it by placing the news on page five, stating “Ram Temple inaugurated at the Babri Masjid site”.

CM’s video

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had released a video immediately after the Ayodhya ceremony on Monday expressing deep concern over the Indian state conducting a religious ceremony and the Prime Minister presiding over it.

In the video recorded in English, he called it a major departure from the times when constitutional office bearers were cautioned from taking part in religious events “as it would cast aspersions on our credentials as a secular state”.

“As those who have taken an oath to uphold the Constitution of India, we ought to ensure that every person within our territories enjoys this right in equal measure. At the same time, we cannot be promoting one religion above all others, or demean one religion beneath every other,” said the chief minister.

Congress view

“Now, we have come to a point in time when the inauguration of a religious place of worship in the country is being celebrated as a state event... As those who have pledged to preserve and protect our Constitution, let us reaffirm our commitment to its secular character, by declining to participate in the event,” he added.

In a Facebook post, Congress leader VD Satheesan evoked the memory of Mahatma Gandhi by saying “Ram will not align with those responsible for Mahatma Gandhi’s death, and the Congress will not associate with individuals posing as honourable but involved in acts of assassination.”

Binoy Viswam, the state secretary of the CPI, called Modi a “lawbreaker who extinguished the flame of national unity”. He asked Modi to apologize to the nation for the destruction of the Babri Masjid instead of apologizing for the delay in completing the Ram temple.

Shashi Tharoor

While Left leaders expressed a clear opposition to the BJP-sponsored event in Ayodhya, there appeared to be confusion within the Congress camp.

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor’s posting of a picture of “Ramlalla” with the caption “Hail Siyavar Ramachandra” sparked significant backlash from the Left-liberal social media space. Tharoor seems to have tried to stick with his ‘Rambhakt’ image.

Cultural figures

The BJP’s strategy of roping in several cultural figures in the lead-up to the ceremony on January 22 did not maintain the expected momentum for the consecration. Superstar Mohanlal, who was anticipated to be at Ayodhya, opted not to attend due to commitments related to his movie, “Malaikkottai Valiban”, directed by Lijo Jose Pellissery.

The Sangh Parivar’s cyber soldiers did not hide their disappointment, with many taking to social media platforms to come down heavily on the superstar. Despite efforts, the Sangh Parivar did not garner substantial support from the cultural sphere, except for a few well-known figures who are known Sangh supporters.

Revathy’s Hinduism

The exception was actor Revathy, who posted a note on socials, stating that “being born a Hindu we keep our beliefs to ourselves, try not to hurt other beliefs, we try to underplay. Secular India is what we strongly feel and keep our religious beliefs personal. This is how it should be for all. The homecoming of Shri Ram has indeed changed things for many. we said it aloud, maybe for the first time that we are ‘believers’ and ending the it with a Jai Shri Ram chant.”

This was after her Women in Cinema Collective, a feminist platform formed by women filmmakers and artists, came out with a string of social media posts urging to uphold secular values of the Indian constitution. Actresses Parvathi Thiruvoth, Rima Kallingal. Kani Kusruthy and Divyaprabha along with directors Aashiq Abu and Jeo Baby posted the preamble of the constitution sending this message on their social media handles.

Ambedkar’s warning

Actor Shane Nigam quoted Ambedkar’s last speech ‘Will history repeat itself? It is this thought which fills me with anxiety. This anxiety is deepened by the realization of the fact that in addition to our old enemies in the form of castes and creeds, we are going to have many political parties with diverse and opposing political creeds. Will Indian place the country above their creed or will they place creed above country? But this much is certain that if the parties place creed above country, our independence will be put in jeopardy a second time and probably be lost forever. This eventuality we must all resolutely guard against. We must be determined to defend our independence with the last drop of our blood.”

Amal Neerad, a cinematographer-turned-director, posted a historical image of the Babri Masjid with a strong worded note on his social handles. “Our integrity sells for so little, but it is all that we really have. It is the very last inch of us. But within that inch, we are free.”

SFI vs RSS

Playback singers Sithara Krishnakumar, Vidhu Prathap, Ishan Dev, Syanora Philip and Gowri Lekshmy made public statements calling for harmony and secularism. Some even sang songs that invoked the secular ethos of India’s plural society.

On the other hand, actor Unni Mukundan conducted special prayers for Lord Ram on the sets of the film he is shooting for as he was unable to travel to Ayodhya.

The Students Federation of India (SFI) activists organized screening of the 1992 documentary ‘Rame ke Naam’ directed by Anad Patwardhan in several campuses across the state. A late-night screening at the KR Narayanan National Institute of Visual Science and Arts resulted in altercation between RSS-BJP workers and students inside the campus. The SFI has vowed to arrange more screenings of the film.