How the Ramjanmabhoomi movement fuelled BJP’s rise and reshaped India’s political landscape

The inception occurred on a chilly December night in 1949 when about 50 individuals broke the locks of Ayodhya's Babri Masjid gate. They installed a Ram idol inside, rekindling a long-standing dispute. The Babri Masjid had remained locked since 1934 due to continuous conflicts.

Against the Chief Secretary's advice, District Magistrate K.K. Nayar chose not to remove the idol, citing potential harm to Hindu sentiments. Interestingly, Nayar later joined the Jan Sangh, BJP's precursor, and ascended to the position of a Member of Parliament. In their book "Ayodhya: The Dark Night," Krishna Jha and Dhirendra K. Jha elucidate, "The night of December 22-23, 1949, set in motion a chain of events which were to give rise to one of the most contentious issues in independent India."

This event marked the beginning of a controversial chapter that ultimately led to the Babri Masjid demolition in 1992, significantly altering the socio-political landscape of India. The aftermath of that night laid the groundwork for a prolonged legal battle and shaped the discourse around communal tensions in the country.

कैसे राम जन्मभूमि आंदोलन ने भाजपा के उत्थान को बढ़ावा दिया और भारत के राजनीतिक परिदृश्य को नया आकार दिया