Ram temple could give BJP an edge in tough LS fight for Ayodhya

The fight between the BJP and INDIA bloc in Ayodhya appears to be a closely contested one While the saffron party seems to have an advantage due to its role in the construction of the Ram temple and the recently held Pran Pratishtha ceremony when midday visited the area numerous locals and shopkeepers near the sacred site expressed resentment towards the BJP regarding the demolition of their shops during road widening and dissatisfaction with the compensation offered by the state governmentAccording to locals the demolition drive in Ayodhya near the temple aimed at widening the road particularly between Lata Mangeshkar Chowk and Shahadat Ganj also known as Ram Path a 13kilometre stretch with several hundred shops They asserted that most of their shops were affected with only a small portion remaining The government offered compensation ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 15 lakh with some receiving R40000 or R50000 based on the area of their shop affected by the demolitionAnant Ram sweet shop ownerLocals argue that the real estate value of the area surrounding the temple is approximately Rs 1 lakh per square foot suggesting that those who lost 40 square feet of shop space should have received at least Rs 40 lakh However they did not receive any such amount Some claim that property owners received satisfactory compensation while those renting their shops especially those with illegal constructions expressed dissatisfaction These individuals either received minimal compensation or were relocated within AyodhyalsquoIs this justicersquoAnant Ram the owner of a sweet shop near the main gate of the temple when questioned about the demolition drive during road widening his eyes welled up with tears and he said ldquoHalf of my shop has been demolished leaving just a 4x15foot area The government has only compensated me with R1 lakh Is this justicerdquoHe added ldquoIf you speak to anyone here everyone will tell you the same story of suffering and government neglect regarding compensation None of us have issues with road widening we understand that as Ayodhya becomes an international tourist destination good roads are essential However what about our compensation We have lived here for several decadesrdquoSaurabh Jaiswal who runs a shop where utensils are sold for religious ceremonies claimed that he had lost 70 square feet of shop area during the demolition in 2017 and had got only R114 lakh in compensation from the governmentRam Path the stretch where shops were demolished PICSFAIZAN KHANldquoInitially I was getting compensation of Rs 40000 and when we sought a larger sum we got Rs 114 lakh the current property rate near the temple is around R1 lakh per square foot Ideally I should have been getting compensation of Rs 70 lakh but that didnrsquot happenrdquo Jaiswal saidWhen midday asked why people still vote for the BJP despite the evident anger Anant Ram responded ldquoWho told you that anger doesnrsquot reflect in elections Letrsquos talk about the Ayodhya Vidhan Sabha seat In 2017 the BJP won with a margin of 70000 votes However in the 2022 state elections the margin was just 10000 indicating that 60000 voters didnrsquot vote for the BJP I feel that this Lok Sabha election is going to be tough anything can happen The alliance candidate is also putting up a tough fightrdquolsquoMedia missing during razingrsquoNear Jaiswalrsquos shop midday encountered an elderly toy seller When approached he refused to speak and displayed anger towards media coverage of the Ayodhya demolition drive ldquoI beg you with folded hands please do not come to my shop I donrsquot want to speak to the media When our shops were demolished what were you media people doing Please leave my shop and do not come here againrdquo the shopkeeper saidLater this reporter learned that a significant portion of his shop had been demolished leaving him only a few square feet to run his shop He had received only Rs 114000 Another shopkeeper who preferred to remain anonymous said ldquoMy shop is just 500 metres from the entry gate of the temple and this road is now called Ram Path Behind the shop I had my residence Now my shop is fully demolished and only a 2x10foot area remains This is the only shop I have and now I use my home to store merchandise The compensation I received is beyond description I lost around 1000 square feet of shop space duringthe demolitionrdquoHe added ldquoPeople buy everything near the temple and hardly come this side You will see a rush in the evening but hardly anyone purchases anything I feel that this election is going to be tough for the BJP if they donrsquot focus on these issuesrdquo Another shopkeeper next to him echoed his sentiments stating ldquoA lot of people want to speak up but are afraid of the authorities so they choose to remain silent I believe that this election is going to play an important role especially in AyodhyardquoDifferent perspectiveNandlal Gupta a shopkeeper who revealed himself to be the parshad of the BJP in Ayodhya as well as the president of a trader association in Ayodhya presented a different perspective on the demolition and explained that the landlords and owners of the plots had received adequate compensation ldquoSee today Ayodhya has become an international tourist destinationHundreds of thousands of people come here daily and who benefits from whatever they eat and shop The people of Ayodhya Individuals who are unhappy with the compensation are not the actual owners or landlords the landlords have received good compensationrdquo Gupta saidHe added ldquoThe government has relocated several individuals who were renting or illegally occupying land They have received compensation and proper shops within Ayodhya Road widening was necessary because as we are developing into an international city proper roads are essential Today Ayodhya also has an international airport and a lot of development work is underwayrdquoOpposition SpeakPawan Pandey spokesperson for the Samajwadi Party and a close aide of Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of deceiving the people of Ayodhya under the guise of road widening ldquoThousands of houses and shops were demolished and people received compensation ranging from R25000 to R15 lakh for shops worth R2025 lakh People have incurred losses in lakhs and crores due to this demolition drive The BJP has done injustice to the residents of AyodhyardquoHe added that the construction of the temple was a welcome move after the Supreme Courtrsquos order and Hindus and Muslims in Ayodhya were living peacefully ldquoHowever the BJP only knows politics that divides Hindus and Muslims Certainly this time polarisation is not working The people of Ayodhya will seek revenge on the BJPrdquo he said