VHP warns PM of violence if activists stopped

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http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_415...01300020001.htm

VHP warns PM of violence if activists stopped

Press Trust of India

New Delhi, October 13

Mounting pressure on Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the VHP on Monday threatened that the country might be plunged into "communal violence" if the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government created hurdles in the plans of Ram bhakts to reach Ayodhya on October 17 for peaceful darshan of Ram Lalla (idol) at the disputed site.

"Vajpayee government should allow Ram bhaktas to go to Ayodhya and the Mulayam Singh Yadav government should allow them to have darshan of Ram Lalla. Otherwise, if the country plunges into communal violence, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee will be responsible," senior VHP leader Pravin Togadia told reporters here.

Asked if his remarks did not amount to threatening the government, the VHP leader said, "I am only apprising the government of the position".

To a question as to why he was sparing Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani from criticism, he said since Vajpayee was the head of the government "I feel the Prime Minister is directly responsible for any atrocity on Hindus".

To a pointed question that deployment of forces was the job of Home Ministry and that Ram bhakts were being stopped from proceeding towards Ayodhya, he said "the Prime Minister (after return from his foreign tour) has not stopped the repressive action against the Hindu

s" and over 10,000 Ram bhakts have been arrested.

"Vajpayee should decide whether he is supporting Mulayam Singh Yadav or the Ram bhaktas. People will not tolerate any double standard," he said and accused both of them of carrying out repression on Hindus.

Togadia warned the NDA government that the Ram temple movement, which had dislodged the Congress from the Centre, could do the same even today to those who carried out repression on Hindus.

Asserting that visiting Ayodhya was the "constitutional and religious right" of Hindus, he said people from three lakh villages had already left their homes for Ayodhya.

"Have the Hindus in Hindustan lost their rights to visit Ayodhya or have a darshan of Ram Lalla," the VHP leader asked and expressed his indignation over the arrest of thousands of Ram bhaktas at Jhansi, Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Mughalsarai and Lucknow to prevent them from proceeding to Ayodhya.

Describing their detention as "illegal", he said no food or water was provided to them and there were no toilet facilities either. "Authorities are behaving with us in a manner as if we are in Pakistan," he said.

The VHP leader wondered whether Mulayam Singh Yadav was helping Vajpayee or vice-versa.

Claiming security forces had been brought to up from Jammu and Kashmir "as if the Ram bhaktas are more dangerous than terrorists," he said if CRPF personnel opened fire at them, it would be construed that Vajpayee was responsible.

He said the Prime Minister should clarify whether he supported the right of Hindus to visit Ayodhya or was in favour of repression on them.

The VHP leader maintained that so far the programme of the Ram bhaktas has been peaceful and non-violent and charged the centre and state governments with starting violence and repression.