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Togadia will defy ban: Rajasekharan

By Our Special Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, APRIL 8. The international general secretary of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP), Praveen Togadia, would defy the ban on his visit here and address a `Hindu Rights Declaration' rally on April 10, the general secretary of the Hindu Aikya Vedi, Kummanam Rajasekharan, said here today.

Addressing a press conference, Mr. Rajasekharan said the ban on Mr. Togadia's visit was a blatant violation of religious freedom and citizen's rights. "The ban is clearly to appease certain religious extremists," he said.

The Thiruvananthapuram District Collector, K.R. Muraleedharan, on Wednesday banned Mr. Togadia from entering the city on the basis of a police report stating that his speeches and actions might incite communal hatred and threaten peace.

Mr. Rajasekharan said the so-called police report was an irony. He described Mr. Togadia as a leader unrelenting in his fight against the growing evil of religious extremism in the country. "He is a champion of national interests and national values. Those who ban him are encouraging the forces of religious extremism," he said.

Mr. Rajasekharan said the leaders of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference who came to the State recently were given all facilities by the Antony Government to `preach religious hatred.' A Christian missionary from the United States who had come here on a tourist visa too was allowed to make `anti-Hindu' speeches across the State. No action was taken against him though it was illegal for a foreigner visiting on a tourist visa to do `missionary work' in the country.

Mr. Rajasekharan said the Hindu Aikya Vedi would hold rallies in all the major centres in the State on April 10 in protest against the Government's order banning Mr. Togadia from entering Thiruvananthapuram. The Bharatiya Janata Party State general secretary, K. Raman Pillai, in a statement, condemned the Government's order banning Mr. Togadia's entry into the capital city. He described the ban as a step the likes of which were witnessed only during the days of the Emergency.

Meanwhile, the CPI(M) State secretary, Pinarayi Vijayan, has called upon the Government not to allow Mr. Togadia to enter any part of the State.

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