Ram can wait, says Supreme Court – as Sangh clamour for (unconstitutional?) ordinance becomes louder

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he media and political build-up was cut short abruptly. Almost laconically, CJI Ranjan Gogoi read out the order on October 29, 2018. The matter will be listed in January to decide which court and when this matter will be heard. It can be heard in January or February or May whatever.

Which means, what? It means a decision on Ram Mandir/Babri Masjid "land dispute" will overshoot general elections 2019 by when the next government will be in place, which may be led by Modi, may be not! The Congress – especially, its member Kapil Sibal, who had sought exactly such a directive – must be loving it, but the BJP was promptly and urgently disappointed, under tremendous pressure.

BJP MP Subramanian Swamy spoke for the party: "I want an ordinance ASAP," notwithstanding the issue that the ordinance route for such a diktat might be deeply problematic, perhaps an outright legal impossibility, as far as constitutional reasoning goes. VHP working president Alok Kumar said the VHP will intensify its agitation and ask the Modi government to bring an ordinance "in this winter session itself, we'll meet MPs of all parties and impress upon them that the Ram Temple cannot wait eternally." The RSS also sought an ordinance, with chief Mohan Bhagwat making this claim on Vijayadashami before live television cameras. But CJI Ranjan Gogoi can wait, if not eternally at least up to 2019. Wait a few months more, he seemed to be telling the nation, the people the BJP and RSS say they represent.

Among the people, the "sages" are mad at the Supreme Court and hopping mad at the Modi government for "squandering four and a half years." Monday, they were railing at the top court for postponing the hearings. "Yeh galat kaam pura court kar raha hai," a spokes-sage of the Nirmohi Akhara told media. "Ab toh court ka intezaar karna padega." Ram Vilas Vedanti of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas went all out against the apex court, courting contempt in the process by alleging that "Gogoi Sonia Gandhi ke saath aur Congress ke saath hai, Kapil Sibal ke saath mil kar Hinduon ko dhoka dia hai," the ex-BJP MP said. "The aspirations of Hindus have been pushed "ahead by lakhs of years."