In February 1989, at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, the VHP said it would lay the foundation stone for the temple in November. This would involve the making of bricks across the country with Ram’s name embossed on them and their being carried in processions through towns and villages to Ayodhya in November

xOn yet another December 6, one feels obliged to write about the most seminal movement in modern India and one that transformed our politics forever.

Forty years ago, the BJP had plateaued, winning seven per cent of the vote in 1984 and only two Lok Sabha seats. When Lal Krishna Advani took charge in 1986, he had never been a participant in electoral politics. His entry into politics came after time spent as a journalist in the RSS magazine, where he wrote film reviews.

As a politician,

See Full Page