COMMUNISTS in India led the opposition to today’s inauguration by right-wing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of a Hindu temple built on the site of a historic mosque in the northern city of Ayodhya.

The provocative gesture delivered on a divisive pledge by his Hindu chauvinist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that Mr Modi hopes will catapult him to a record third successive term in forthcoming elections.

The temple, which is still under construction, is dedicated to the Hindu god Ram and fulfils a long-standing demand made by millions of Hindus who worship the revered deity. 

Nearly 7,500 people, including India’s top industrialists, politicians and film stars, watched the ritual on a giant screen outside the temple in Uttar Pradesh state as a military helicopter showered petals on the scene.

Jubilant devotees from across the country celebrated the opening, with groups of them dancing to religious songs blaring from speakers on roads bedecked with flowers. 

Some 20,000 security personnel and more than 10,000 CCTV cameras were deployed for the ceremony.

However, Kerala state First Minister Pinarayi Vijayan of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) turned down an invitation to attend the ceremony.

He denounced the spending of public funds on a religious event, insisting that “religion is a private matter” and that India has always had a “strong tradition of maintaining the separation of the line that demarcates religion and the state.”

Public buildings such as Delhi University were also closed for half a day for the inauguration ceremony.

The Students Federation of India responded by saying: “SFI upholds the constitution’s basic structure, its progressive and secular values, and denounces both the university circular and the government memorandum [announcing the closure].

“We call on the student community to be alert to any attempts to communalise the campus.”