Ravi Shankar Prasad: ‘India will never be a theocracy. The State will be neutral, treat all religions equally…’

Senior BJP leader and senior advocate Ravi Shankar Prasad had appeared in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case as the lawyer representing Ram Lalla, the deity. Ahead of the Ram Temple inauguration, he speaks with The Indian Express:

Q) You were closely involved with the process that is now set to culminate into the construction of the Ram Temple. Looking back, what are your thoughts?

Let me give a context. Three important findings in the judgment given by the Supreme Court are very crucial now. The Muslim side could not produce any evidence. They were in exclusive possession of the so-called Babri structure for the last few hundred years. There is ample evidence on record that, in spite of the erection of the so-called disputed structure, the faith of the Hindus never wavered on the place of birth of Lord Ram. They would go and bow their heads in front of it, for which there are accounts of travellers and Christian missionaries. Archeological Survey of India (ASI) findings also clearly established that on the ruins of a very old temple of the 8th-9th Century, the Babri mosque was erected. That many of the artefacts of the temple had been used in it. Therefore, a question I would like to raise is that, in view of these scientific findings… why was the same statesmanship and determination not demonstrated in the case of the Ram Janambhoomi dispute as was done in the case of Somnath?

Sardar Patel, K M Munshi and Rajendra Prasad showed determination which was crucial for (rebuilding) the Somnath temple. When India became free, the entire country was littered with statues of Queen Victoria, Lord Harding, King George V… were they removed or not? Why? Because they were not statues of creativity but symbols of