Editing Bharatiya Janata Party (section)

=== Ram Janmabhoomi movement ===
{{Main|Ram Rath Yatra}}
{{Further|Ayodhya dispute|Demolition of the Babri Masjid}}
[[File:Advani Yatra 1990.svg|thumb|[[Ram Rath Yatra]]]]
The failure of Vajpayee's moderate strategy led to a shift in the ideology of the party toward a policy of more hardline Hindu nationalism.{{sfn|Malik|Singh|1992|pp=318–336}}{{sfn|Pai|1996|pp=1170–1183}} In 1984, Advani was appointed president of the party, and under him it became the political voice of the [[Ram Janmabhoomi]] movement. In the early 1980s, the [[Vishva Hindu Parishad]] (VHP) began a campaign for the construction of a [[Ram Mandir|temple]] dedicated to the Hindu deity [[Rama]] at the [[Ayodhya dispute|disputed site]] of the [[Babri Masjid|Babri Mosque]] in [[Ayodhya]]. The mosque had been constructed by the Mughal Emperor [[Babur]] in 1527. There is a dispute about whether a temple once stood there.{{sfn|Jha|2003}} The agitation was on the basis of the belief that the site is the birthplace of Rama, and that a temple had been demolished to construct the mosque.{{sfn|Flint|2005|p=165}} The BJP threw its support behind this campaign and made it a part of their election platform. It won 86 [[Lok Sabha]] seats in 1989, a tally which made its support crucial to the [[Third Front (India)#National Front (1989–1991)|National Front]] government of [[V. P. Singh]].{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=582–598}}

In September 1990, Advani began a ''[[Ratha Yatra|Rath Yatra]]'' (chariot journey) to Ayodhya in support of the Ram temple movement. According to Guha, the imagery employed by the ''yatra'' was "religious, allusive, militant, masculine, and anti-Muslim".{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=635}} Advani was placed under preventive detention on the orders of the then [[Bihar]] chief minister [[Lalu Prasad Yadav]]. A large number of ''[[Sevā|kar sevaks]]'' (religious volunteers) nonetheless converged at Ayodhya, and some attacked the mosque. Three days of fighting with the paramilitary forces ended with the deaths of several ''kar sevaks''. Hindus were urged by VHP to "take revenge" for these deaths, resulting in riots against Muslims across Uttar Pradesh.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=636}} The BJP withdrew its support from the V.P. Singh government, leading to fresh general elections. The BJP further increased its tally to 120 seats, and won a majority in the [[Uttar Pradesh]] assembly.{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}}

On 6 December 1992, the RSS and its affiliates organised a rally involving more than 100,000 VHP and BJP activists at the site of the mosque.{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}} The rally developed into a frenzied attack that ended with the [[Demolition of the Babri Masjid|demolition of the mosque]].{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}} Over the following weeks, waves of violence between Hindus and Muslims erupted all over the country, killing over 2,000 people.{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}} The government briefly banned the VHP, and many BJP leaders, including Advani were arrested for making inflammatory speeches provoking the demolition.{{sfn|NDTV|2012}}{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} Several historians have said that the demolition was the product of a conspiracy by the Sangh Parivar, and not a spontaneous act.{{sfn|Guha|2007|pp=633–659}} In the parliamentary elections in 1996, the BJP capitalised on the communal polarisation that followed the demolition to win 161 Lok Sabha seats, making it the largest party in parliament.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=633}} Vajpayee was sworn in as Prime Minister but was unable to attain a majority in the Lok Sabha, forcing the government to resign after 13 days.{{sfn|Guha|2007|p=633}}

A [[Liberhan Commission|2009 report]], authored by Justice [[Manmohan Singh Liberhan]], found that 68 people were responsible for the demolition, mostly leaders from the BJP.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} Among those named were Vajpayee, Advani, and [[Murli Manohar Joshi]]. The report also criticised [[Kalyan Singh]], Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh during the demolition.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} He was accused of posting bureaucrats and police officers who would stay silent during the demolition.{{sfn|Al Jazeera|2009}} In 2020, the [[Supreme Court of India]] acquitted all of the accused in the demolition including Advani and Joshi.<ref>{{Cite news |date=30 September 2020 |title=All acquitted in Babri Masjid demolition case: Advani, MM Joshi hail verdict, Congress wants govt to appeal against it |language=en-IN |work=The Hindu |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ayodhya-babri-masjid-demolition-case-verdict/article32728552.ece |url-status=live |access-date=12 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210412195725/https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/ayodhya-babri-masjid-demolition-case-verdict/article32728552.ece |archive-date=12 April 2021 |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

Following the [[2019 Supreme Court verdict on Ayodhya dispute|2019 Supreme Court verdict]], the [[Government of India]] announced a trust to construct the Mandir. On 22 January 2024, the [[Ram Mandir]] was officially opened.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2024-01-22 |title=Ram Temple inauguration: Advent of a new era, says PM Modi |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/others/advent-of-a-new-era-says-pm-101705947809336.html |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=Hindustan Times |language=en}}</ref> Prime Minister [[Narendra Modi]] led its consecration, claiming it to be the start of a new era.<ref name=":0" /> The temple is expected to be fully completed by September 2025.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Afzhal Khan |first=Arshad |date=2024-11-09 |title=Ayodhya's Ram temple to take 3 more months, to be completed by September 2025 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/allahabad/ram-temple-completion-delayed-until-september-2025-due-to-stone-carver-shortage/articleshow/115095899.cms |access-date=2025-02-10 |work=[[The Times of India]] |issn=0971-8257}}</ref>