BJP ignored ‘praja’ for ‘raja’ in Ayodhya and paid the price
- Makarand R Paranjape
- TIMESOFINDIA.COMUpdated: Jul 8, 2024, 07:23 IST IST
BJP's defeat serves as a stark reminder that monumental projects like the Ram Mandir, while carrying significant cultural and religious weight, cannot overshadow the fundamental democratic principle that praja always reigns supreme over raja
Ayodhya, a city steeped in mythological and historical significance, has been at the heart of India's recent cultural and political discourse. The construction of the Ram Mandir, a project with profound religious and nationalist undertones, was anticipated to bolster the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) political capital.
However, the local electoral defeat reveals that the symbolic resonance of such projects, while powerful, is insufficient to secure political victory if the concerns of the local people are sidelined. Substance, not just symbolism, matters.
However, the local electoral defeat reveals that the symbolic resonance of such projects, while powerful, is insufficient to secure political victory if the concerns of the local people are sidelined. Substance, not just symbolism, matters.
