India: a TGV for the god Ram, a very political project at 25 billion
The fate of all India has been played out several times around Ayodhya.
AFP - SANJAY KANOJIA
Text by: Côme Bastin Follow
5 mins
A TGV to the birthplace of the god Ram.
This is what the Hindu nationalist government announced this week.
Some 670 kilometers of rail, 25 billion euros of investment to link the capital New Delhi to Ayodhya, a city of only 50,000 inhabitants.
A town in India!
So why such a project?
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From our correspondent in Bangalore,
There is something to be surprised when we know that India still does not have any operational TGV.
But in reality this is not so surprising considering the historical and political importance of this small town for the
ruling BJP party
.
The fate of all India has been played out several times around Ayodhya.
We must first go back to the end of the twentieth century.
Hindu nationalists were not yet in power but spread their ideology through extremist movements.
Among their requests: the reconquest of the birthplace of the sun god Ram, in place of a mosque, in Ayodhya.
In 1992, gigantic intercommunal riots left 2,000 dead there and the mosque was destroyed.
It was not until 2019 that the
Indian Supreme Court attributed the disputed site to Hindus
.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who played shortly before his re-election on the promise of a giant temple dedicated to Ram, triumphed in the eyes of many of his supporters.
►
To read also
: "Ayodhya's judgment is realistic"
A project to galvanize the electoral base of Narendra Modi?
Officially, it is about putting Ayodhya on the world tourism map by connecting the future temple to the capital in two hours, instead of the current fifteen hours.
The line will also serve other cities.
And in addition to the $ 25 billion TGV, an airport named after the Sun God is under construction for the small holy town.
Beyond the development of tourism, there is obviously a
very strong political symbol.
With an economy at half mast, management of the pandemic criticized, Narendra Modi is in a bad spot in the polls.
Focusing attention on Ayodhya and religious issues is a good way to unite your troops.
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And then the elections come in February in Uttar Pradesh.
There is the holy city of Varanasi, the holy city of Ayodhya and it is the most populous of the Indian states.
The BJP must at all costs retain control of this beating heart of Hinduism.
If defeated, the signal would be catastrophic for the 2024 national elections.
The big announcements in this state therefore prepare for a decisive electoral battle.
Other promises are also expected today.
Successful effect with the population
It will take at least seven years to build this train line, but the effect already seems to be successful.
Many Internet users express their joy at the idea of such a project and all the media have relayed the news.
Even at the political level, no voice is raised to question the price or the merits of this investment.
After so many arguments, there is a sort of national union, or taboo, around Ayodhya.
In this sense, this TGV shows one thing: if Narendra Modi is challenged on the economic or health level, his religious agenda continues to dominate the imagination in India.
Bullet train proposed between Delhi-Ayodhya, aim to put city on 'world map for tourism'
Jai Sree Ram🚩 pic.twitter.com/D11ahduGen
- Vikas Chopra🇮🇳 (@Pronamotweets) August 22, 2021
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