Ramayana: Historicizing Myth and Mythologizing History 61confidence to display arms in their Shobha Yatra on Ramnavami day (April
7) in Delhi and several other places along with provocative slogans.
It was at this juncture that the three famous scandals of the Rajiv govern-
ment, Fairfax investigation, HDW submarines, and Bofors guns, unfolded
and began to occupy the Indian political scene. VP. Singh emerged as
the major opposition figure and contested the highly symbolic Allahabad
bye-election in June 1988. Fielding Sunil Shastri, the son of former prime
minister Lai Bahadur Shastri, the Rajiv government waged a no-holds-
barred fight against Singh. Although the government had promulgated an
ordinance in 1988 to separate religion from politics at the wake of the Pun-
jab situation, the Congress (I) brought to Allahabad the actor Arun Govil,
who acted as Ram in the TV serial, in full dress and makeup as Ram. The
Congress leaders and ministers such as Gulam Nabi Azad were said to
have shouted from the platform in full throat, "Bolo Siyapati Ramchandra
Ki Jai" when Govil appeared on stage as Ram.^47
Obviously, the Hindutva forces were not going to let the Congress (I)
steal their symbols this time. The RSS mouthpiece complained that the
"Ramayana's lofty canons of Dharma—the hub of its universal appeal—
have been sought to be trampled under foot" by the Congress (I). It further
lamented, "The overall impact of it all has been that of making the nation,
especially the Hindus—the laughing stock of the world. But that perhaps
seems to be the secular grand design of the Tarsi Raja and Christian Rani'
whose imperial destiny seems to be to exploit all religious appeals turn by
turn or even simultaneously to perpetuate themselves in power."^48 The
National Executive of the BJP commented, "Congress desperation [sic]
and total lack of scruples in this electoral battle was sharply highlighted
when it tried to use television artist Arun Govil, dressed up as Rama, to
boost their party prospects. It is a tribute to the maturity of the masses
that Govil and Dara Singh who had earned cheers of millions when they
played Rama and Hanuman on T.V evoked only jeers when they tried to
canvass support for the corrupt Congress."^49
While the RSS-BJP relationship was hanging in the balance with occa-
sional highs and lows, the Hindu religious elements started emerging
more and more assertive. Some of them organized a Temple Liberation
Conference in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in July 1988 and presented a
mass petition to the state governor allegedly signed by 2.5 million "Hindu
believers" to liberate the temples from the control of the government and
political parties.^50 Likewise, the leaders of the Ram Janmabhoomi Mukti
Yagya Samiti asserted that they would not budge on the Ramjanmabhumi
issue.^51
When the religious elements were flexing their muscles and the Ram-
janmabhumi issue was gaining momentum, the RSS made up its mind
and declared unequivocal support to the BJP. At a press conference on
October 3,1988, Balasaheb Deoras gave two reasons for this support. First,