Jai Shri Ram or Jai Constitution? Modi Must Make His Choice Clear

If the Parliament is the temple of India’s democracy, the Central Hall in the stately Sansad Bhavan is its garbh grah, its sanctum sanctorum. Since I am using the Hindu imagery of a temple, I should mention who the main ‘deity’ in this sacred place is. It is Janardana. More specifically, Janata Janardana.

A compound word in Sanskrit − ‘Janaihi ardate iti Janardanaha’ − Janardana means one who is the lord of the people, their protector from distress, and bestower of peace and progress. But in the age of democracy, Janardana is none other than janata – or “We the People of India”, the resounding words with which the Preamble of our Constitution begins.

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