The Hindu : Sena plans meet at Ayodhya

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Sep 26, 2003

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Sena plans meet at Ayodhya

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi Sept. 25. In an effort to upstage the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, the Shiv Sena will convene a `Ram Bhakt Sammelan' at Ayodhya on October 11, six days ahead of a similar meeting organised by the VHP at the same venue to mount pressure for construction of a Ram temple there.

The Sena has decided to go ahead with its programme even if the VHP, which has been invited to join in, decides not to participate. The Sena will not take part in the VHP's programme on October 17 in Ayodhya, the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, Chandrakant Khaire, told mediapersons here today. The VHP has organised rallies in New Delhi and Lucknow from October 15, which will culminate in a meeting in Ayodhya on October 17.

Mr. Khaire said that they would go ahead with the meeting at the Ram Katha Park though the Faisabad District Magistrate had not yet given them permission. "Our sammelan was planned in June and the venue paid for in July. If the administration gives us permission, everything will be smooth. If they do not, then let them arrest us."

According to Mr. Khaire, who is in charge of Uttar Pradesh affairs, the meeting had the "blessings" of the late chief of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas, Mahant Paramhans Ramchandra Das. It will be attended by, among others, the Nyas' new chief, Nitya Gopal, Vasudevanand Saraswati of Jyotishpeeth and Ramanujacharya.

The Sena chief, Bal Thackeray, and his son, Udhav Thackeray, would not attend, but had "blessed'' the programme being organised by the U.P. party unit. The next phase of the temple "movement" would be decided under the leadership of Udhav Thackeray followed by a national movement under Bal Thackeray, the Sena leader said. Sena leaders, Subhash Desai and Satish Pradhan, would address the meet, which would be attended by all Sena MPs. Two resolutions would be adopted: one would ask the Centre to set up a special Bench of the Supreme Court to which all cases in lower courts and tribunals would be referred to for a time-bound decision on the Ayodhya issue. The second would seek the handing over of the Government-acquired land to the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas.

The party's U.P. chief, Vijay Tiwari, said the late Paramhans had "lost faith" in the VHP.

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