Pilgrim travel, booklet & community feasts: BJP lines up activities in Ayodhya

To tap the emotive appeal of the Ram Temple, set to be inaugurated on January 22 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bhartiya Janata Party is lining up multiple activities, right from facilitating pilgrim travel to Ayodhya, to organising community feasts and reminding the masses about the association of the party and its leaders in the Ram Mandir agitation.

The party will task cadres to facilitate ‘darshan’ of Ram Lalla in his new, grand abode that would be open to public after its high profile opening on January 22.

“The idea is to get people from each assembly segment. While there is no specific number that was discussed, it has been broadly decided that we will try and facilitate as much as we can. So, we could be targeting anywhere around 10,000 pilgrim visits per Lok Sabha constituency,” said a source privy to the details of a meeting chaired by BJP chief JP Nadda in Delhi on Tuesday.

Going by this data, the BJP could facilitate the visit of over 54 lakh pilgrims from across the 543 Lok Sabha constituencies, though party leaders admitted that no fixed number has been decided upon.

“Given the massive desire among the masses to visit Ayodhya to witness the dream-come-true moment, the party has decided to facilitate such visits,” the source said. The cadres would also collaborate with railways and transport departments to ensure the smooth movement of pilgrims arriving in Ayodhya by trains and buses, party leaders confirmed.

For those travelling to Ayodhya, either with party’s help or on their own, the party would also connect with NGOs, voluntary bodies for holding ‘langars’ (community feasts). “Many community feasts would be organised both by the party as well as voluntary bodies,” a leader said adding that these could be organised for about two months till March. The party is also mobilising foodgrains and other items for community feasts from states where it has its own party governments, a leader said.

The party is also likely to prepare booklet detailing the history of Ram Mandir agitation and the role its leaders have played in it, party leaders said. These booklets would be distributed among the people.

“BJP campaigns would also focus on a mega cleanliness drive in Ayodhya and surrounding regions. People will be encouraged to undertake similar cleanliness campaigns in small and large temples around them,” the source further said.

The cleanliness campaigns are expected to take place between January 14 and January 22.

The cadres will also approach people to encourage them to light ‘Ram Jyoti’ (earthen lamps in Lord Ram’s name). Bhajans (devotional songs) will also be organised in temples and homes, said party leaders.