MANDIR MOBILISATION: Ram sevaks arrive in Ayodhya

Ramsevakpuram and Karsevakpuram are under siege. Not by fervent Ram sevaks but by the veterans. Policemen and bureaucrats, who had handled the explosive situations at Ayodhya in 1990 and 1992, have taken charge and thousands of Ram sevaks have already been sent home. The siege is near impenetrable: the five-tier barricade around the town has been reinforced by magistrates posted at major check points armed with arrest warrants; vehicular movement has been prohibited within a 60-km radius; bridges have been sealed, roads blocked and the PAC flood unit is out on riverine vigils on the Saryu. The town wears a deserted look. All 6,500 temples and dharamshalas have been evacuated and Ayodhya is ready to deal with the Ram sevaks.

AT PILLAR'S POST: VHP volunteers are fashioning Mission March 15

Yet the administration is uneasy. While the main players of the Ram movement are busy in high pressure negotiations in Delhi, at Ayodhya the immediate issue is whether Ram sevaks will manage to breach the security ring on March 15, the deadline set by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for temple construction. "I am the receiver of the acquired land of Ram Janmabhoomi. We are keeping a tight vigil and hoping for the best,'' says A.K. Gupta, commissioner of Faizabad. The cheerleaders of the campaign-Mahant Ram Chandra Paramhans, Nrityagopal Das, Avaidyanath, Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia-are scheduled to return on Shivratri on March 12. The day will see the Naga sadhus march into the city and the administration is not ruling out any eventuality.

Despite the conciliatory noises being made in Delhi by Singhal, Faizabad MP Vinay Katiar insists: "How can the courts decide on a matter of faith?'' He is confident that the Ram sevaks will succeed on March 15. "The foundation stone had already been laid by Rajiv Gandhi. Muhurat to ho gaya, ab nirmaan karya arambh hona hai (The inauguration has been done, only the construction remains)," he says.

The Union Government has filed a petition in the Allahabad High Court seeking to expedite the Ayodhya case. But a verdict may give rise to fresh controversy. Even a favourable judgement could pose problems for the VHP. Says Mahant Jyotidas of Nirmohi Akhara, the seminary that is among the original petitioners in the case: "It will be for me to decide whether I want the VHP's help in the construction if the court allows me build the temple,'' Also, heads of at least five of the seven akharas at Ayodhya are anti-VHP.

As religious heads vie for control of the temple campaign, the man on the street is fast losing interest. "No one cares anymore. Neither the Hindus nor the Muslims,'' says Ramgopal, a fruit vendor in Faizabad. Of greater concern to the people is the inconvenience police raj has brought. Vehicle passes have become a much-sought-after commodity, even as people have started hoarding food and essential items in preparation for the impending storm. This is one advent of Ram that won't herald Diwali.