NEW DELHI :In the wake of the judgement in the decades old Ayodhya Ram temple-Babri Masjid case, that was announced on Saturday, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) had released a set of guidelines that was shared extensively among its cadre so that no communal tension took place.
According to RSS sources, all the shakhas across the country were asked to make sure that their followers did not take out any loud processions, burst crackers, painted the judgment as a Hindu-Muslim issue or made any incendiary speech once the judgment came.
Once the judgment was announced, the first comment on the topic, as was decided and stated in the guidelines, came from RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat who emphasised that the judgment should not be construed as anybody’s victory or defeat. “We wanted the issue to end, this has happened. All sides (of the case) were evaluated and truth and justice have been highlighted,” he said, while stating that the job of the RSS was character-building and not launching agitations when he was asked whether the RSS would now take up Mathura and Varanasi issues.
As per the guidelines, the statement made by Bhagwat would be the template which will be used by spokesperson and media panelists later on when they interact with the media on the issue. The RSS had also explicitly made it clear that loudmouth leaders in the BJP and leaders who have a record of making “controversial” statements should be controlled and strict and clear instructions were given to the BJP leaders in this regard. The impact of this was evident when Union minister and BJP firebrand leader Giriraj Singh just tweeted an emoticon of “namaste (folded hands)” when the judgment was announced.
Last week, a two-day meet of RSS functionaries was organised in Lucknow where measures to make sure that no untoward incident takes place and how to maintain the social fabric, was deliberated upon.
Instructions have also been issued that “Hanuman Chalisa” and “Sunderkand” recitation should be done in public places, wherever possible with public participation, to keep the atmosphere calm once the judgment comes.
An RSS functionary said: “People also need to be reminded of the work that the RSS did all these years in its struggle for the Ram temple in challenging circumstances. For us, it was never and it never will be a political issue. We had instructed our followers to make sure that only constructive and positive thoughts related to the Ayodhya judgment are discussed in the various social media platforms.”
Meanwhile, Doordarshan 1 (DD1) will also start a weekly programme “Samaparan” that will be broadcast every Sunday morning from 17 November, the RSS has informed its members. The programme will be based on the contributions of RSS and its ancillary organisations towards nation-building.
Speaking to The Sunday Guardian on the preparedness of the government with regard to the Ayodhya judgment, senior BJP leader and Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi had said that the government was very confident that there would be no trouble following the Ayodhya judgment.
“Members of both the communities have told us that they will wholeheartedly accept and welcome any judgment that will come. We had conducted outreach programmes where we met the representatives of various communities who had assured us that there will be no trouble; people from the communities themselves were prepared to resist any instance of trouble mongering. The law enforcement agencies too were well prepared to handle any eventualities. The representatives of both Hindu and Muslim organisations had assured us that there will be no wild celebration or expression of gloom from any side, whatever the judgment is. As you can see everyone is standing together,” Naqvi said.