Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s agenda is below scrutiny after consecration of extremely controversial temple.
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated a controversial Hindu temple within the northern metropolis of Ayodhya.
The shrine was constructed on grounds the place a mosque from the Mughal-era stood for hundreds of years, till it was destroyed by Hindu activists in 1992.
In elections in 2014, Modi campaigned with a promise to construct a temple devoted to the Hindu god Lord Ram, on the very web site of the demolished mosque.
With the temple’s consecration coming solely months forward of a nationwide election, opposition leaders accuse him of exploiting faith to win political favour.
And as Modi seeks a 3rd consecutive time period, considerations are rising that he’s constructing a legacy as a pacesetter in a position to remodel India right into a Hindu nationalist state.
So, what does this imply for the way forward for secularism within the nation?
Presenter: Neave Barker
Friends:
Shazia Ilmi – Nationwide spokesperson for the governing BJP Occasion
Sharat Pradhan – Political analyst and impartial journalist
Nilanjan Mookuhpadyey – Journalist and creator of, The Demolition and The Verdict, a e book on the Ram Temple controversy