There is a whiff of Ram fragrance in the country’s politics once again. Nearly, two and half decades after gamechanger LK Advani’s infamous rath yatra, another Ram rath yatra has set off today from Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh. It is no coincidence that simultaneously, Muslims players like the All India Muslim Personal Law Board with their pro-Babri mosque rhetoric are in the news, too.

Since the controversy around Ram temple in Ayodhya revolves around the Babri mosque, it is, indeed, obvious that the name of a Muslim outfit will pop up whenever the issue comes up. First it was the Babri Masjid Action Committee championing the Muslim cause in the late 1980s and early 1990s when the VHP and Advani were out in the field for the temple cause. It is once again Hindutva forces for the temple versus AIMPLB for the Babri mosque.

But here lies the catch for a journalist like me, who has covered and witnessed the entire controversy from the day Babri mosque was unlocked through a judicial order on February 2, 1986. Over 25 years have passed since the demolition of the Babri masjid and much water has flown down the Saryu river since, but not much has changed in terms of politics of Ram temple.

Bhagwan Ram is a much-revered religious figure in the Hindu pantheon. So, the construction of a Ram temple on the site of a demolished mosque is bound to be an emotive issue for many Hindus, as well as Muslims. But, how to translate this into an explosive issue in terms of electoral politics for the BJP? A religious issue for the two major Indian communities could electorally help the BJP only if a Hindu votebank is crystallised around the perception that the BJP and its Hindutva allies are the ones championing the Ram temple cause for Hindus.

Here comes the need for an obstinate Muslim outfit to generate Hindu backlash. An outfit like Babri Masjid Action Committee and now the AIMPLB fits the bill. That is how a fixed Hindu versus Muslim game begins that ultimately suits Hindutva forces, which eventually converts into a BJP poll victory.