Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar earlier this week unveiled his government’s Rs 72-crore plan to redevelop the Punourdham in Sitamarhi, which is believed to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Sita, the consort of Lord Ram. “The renovation must be completed fast. Sitakund must be developed and its surroundings must be beautified to attract more devotees,” Nitish said at the event on December 13.
The move comes just over a month before the scheduled inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya that is being publicised by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar on a large scale. The Bihar government’s decision has triggered a war of words between the JD(U) and its former ally BJP.
What does the plan involve?
The Bihar government’s plan for Sitamarhi comes even though it features in the Centre’s list of 15 tourism-cum-religious places on the Ramayana Circuit, which is one of the 15 thematic circuits identified for development under the Swadesh Darshan scheme of the Union Ministry of Tourism. The projects under the scheme are identified in consultation with the state governments or Union Territory administrations.
The state government’s plan includes the setting up of a parikrama path (a path to circumambulate the temple) with a roof and sandstone pillars. A Sita Vatika (Sita’s garden), Luv-Kush Vatika (Luv-Kush garden) and a shanti mandap (area for meditation) are also being planned besides a cafeteria and a parking lot. A 3-D animation film, depicting Sita’s life, is also in the pipeline.
As a part of the plan, the state’s tourism department is also working to redevelop at least a dozen sites believed to be associated with Lord Ram and Sita.
A political slugfest
The BJP alleges that the JD(U) has been trying to parry the allegations of Muslim appeasement with the move and is resorting to “soft Hindutva” ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. On the other hand, the JD(U) claims that the BJP has been concentrating only on the development of the Ram Temple while ignoring other places of importance, including those believed to be associated with Sita.
JD(U) MLC and member of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trust Neeraj Kumar told The Indian Express that the CM had always said he respects all religions. “Whether it is the fencing of cemeteries, temples or religious places of any other faith, our government works for the development of all such places,” he said.
Asked if the redevelopment plan was a response to the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Kumar said places believed to be related to Sita were an important part of Bihar’s culture and significant for boosting tourism. “The Centre, while spending Rs 3,000 crore on the Ram Temple development, should have also developed sites related to Sita. We are doing our bit and there is no politics involved. In any case, there is no copyright on our deities,” he said.
He also claimed that while the Bihar government had relocated temples that it had to remove for the construction of roads, the BJP at the Centre had no such plan while constructing highways.
Meanwhile, BJP state vice-president Santosh Pathak termed the JD(U)’s move as “soft Hindutva”. “People are eagerly waiting for the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. It is a matter of cumulative pride. What the JD(U) has been attempting is soft Hindutva even though it is known for its Muslim appeasement,” he said.
Bihar and Hindutva
Due to its long association with socialist politics, Hindutva has not been the focal point of Bihar’s electoral landscape. After the demolition of the Babri Masjid in 1992, the BJP performed poorly in the subsequent elections. In the 1995 elections, the party managed to get only 41 of the 324 (undivided Bihar) seats. The BJP has also not been able to dominate electorally when it has contested alone. In the 2015 elections, despite the Narendra Modi wave, the party managed to win only 91 of the 243 seats.
Despite the allegations of soft Hindutva against Kumar and his government, it is unlikely that the BJP may manage to cash in on the Hindutva sentiment in the state in the Lok Sabha elections.
JD(U) not alone
In the larger Opposition space, this is not the first time that an Opposition party or leader has tried to focus on Sita as a way to counter the BJP’s Hindutva push that has come to be encapsulated by the slogan “Jai Shri Ram”. During the Haryana leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra earlier this year, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said at a public meeting, “They (RSS) never say 'Jai Siya Ram'. He took Sita ji out of the naara; Throwed the spring of water. This is what they did against our history (The RSS workers never say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. They have removed Sita from the salutation. This is something that is against our history). I am telling you (Congress workers), every time you come across an RSS worker, ask them to say ‘Jai Siya Ram’. Kyunki, jitne jaroori Ram the, utni jaroori hi Sita ji thi (because Sita is as significant as Ram).”
© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
First published on: 17-12-2023 at 05:38 IST
