Contrary to reports by various media outlets, OpIndia.com discovered that Ram Mandir was still very much an issue for the residents of Ayodhya. Although it was quite clear that they do want other amenities, but, for them, it is not an either/or issue. Also, the residents overwhelmingly believed that Ram Mandir will contribute to development in the area.
For quite some time, media outlets have published articles claiming that residents of Ayodhya do not really want a Ram Mandir to be built at Ayodhya and are concerned with other priorities.
Left propaganda outlet published a report with the headline, “‘Ram temple profits politicians, not Ayodhya’: On the Babri anniversary, a town looks back – and forward”.
Due to the narrative furthered by these outlets based on the statements of extremely few people, OpIndia.com attempted to gauge the mood of residents of Ayodhya. While a handful of people may as well say exactly what the other portals claim, an overwhelming majority don’t.
The opinions of the residents of Ayodhya who we spoke to, were strictly divided along religious lines. While Hindus firmly believe that a Bhavya Ram Mandir should be built at Ram Janambhoomi, Muslims believe that the Babri Masjid should be rebuilt.
Hindus at Ayodhya overwhelmingly support the construction of the Ram Mandir. While they want other facilities such as hospitals and playgrounds to be built at Ayodhya, they are of the opinion that there was sufficient space in Ayodhya for all of it to proceed simultaneously.
They also believe that the Ram Mandir will usher in an era of development at Ayodhya as devotees from all across the world would pour in to worship Shri Rama at his Janambhoomi, thus felicitating ‘Vikas’ in the region.
Muslim residents, on the other hand, believe that there’s no evidence to prove the existence of Ram Mandir at the place but everyone knows that a Masjid existed there and therefore, it is only fair that it is rebuilt. They were also hopeful that the Supreme Court verdict would come in their favour.