Every morning, Sushma Sharma, 59, and her friend Radhika, 50, walk to a temple at the end of a narrow winding lane in north-east Delhi’s Maujpur, where ‘Ram ke naam’ and ‘Jai Shri Ram’ flags fly atop buildings on both sides.
“Jis din Ram Mandir ki sthapna ki gayi thi, hum sab ne apne gharon mein jhande lagaye thhe (The day Ram Temple was inaugurated [in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya], all of us had put up these flags in our houses),” said Ms. Sharma.
But this, the two women added, may not necessarily translate into votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), whose pitch for a third term at the Centre has the construction of Ram Mandir as one of the key achievements.
More than four years ago, these same lanes were burning as communal riots rocked north-east Delhi. The violence, which continued for around four days from February 23 to 27 that year, killed at least 53 people (38 Muslims and 15 Hindus) and injured hundreds.
While religious divisions still influence residents in the North East Delhi parliamentary constituency, religion, they said, isn’t the deciding factor here as Delhi prepares to vote on May 25. “We have made lot of sacrifices for our children’s education, but now they are struggling to find jobs,” said Ms. Radhika. Disgruntled with the lack of jobs for their children, the two women said that they will vote for “change”.
Although the gap between the two communities has become more pronounced with saffron flags adorning most rooftops in Maujpur and some areas in Seelampur and Jaffrabad, many, both Hindus and Muslims, still hold onto the idea of bhaichara (brotherhood) in these lanes. “When violence engulfed the area in 2020, we were just as scared as our Muslim brothers and sisters in the lane behind us,” said Ms. Sharma.
Frayed friendships
In another lane, four self-proclaimed supporters of the BJP, said their votes will go to the BJP because of Ram Mandir. “Some people put it up in a show of strength... sometimes all this scares you,” said Ashiq (name changed), 31, who lives a little distance away in another lane that houses both Muslim and Hindu families.
Manish Jaiswal, 52, who runs a grocery store in Maujpur, said the flags were distributed in the area by some individuals and religious organisations. “Since everyone in my neighbourhood had put it up, I too did,” he said. Sitting not very far away from Mr. Jaiswal’s shop, a 20-something Komal said their house has a flag too but her family members are mostly Aam Aadmi Party supporters.
In Seelampur, a local shopkeeper said both Muslim and Hindu shopkeepers work harmoniously on the same road but they hardly talk to each other.
A 65-year-old shopkeeper, requesting anonymity, said people have no option but to work quietly. “Most families have been struggling to make ends meet.” He attributed the religious tension in the area to the lack of livelihood opportunities and general disillusionment among people.
“Bhaichara toh logo ke dil mein abhi bhi hai, beshak pehle jitna nahi (People still have that sense of brotherhood. Of course, it’s not the same as before),” he said.
