The Hindu : National : VHP threatens to intensify stir

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 16, 2004

National

National

VHP threatens to intensify stir

By Our Special Correspondent

CHENNAI, NOV. 15. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today threatened to intensify its agitation throughout the country if the Tamil Nadu Government did not release the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswathi, immediately.

Describing the arrest of the Sankaracharya as a "deep conspiracy against Hindu society," Praveen Togadia, VHP secretary-general, told a public meeting here that the Chief Minister, Jayalalithaa, should state the reasons for the arrest. She should also state whether she was under any pressure to order the arrest.

Pointing out that she had not "uttered a single word" yet on the arrest, Dr. Togadia said she had acted against the Sankaracharya because of "votebank politics." "The exercise [of the arrest] is to finish a Hindu Mutt and Hindu society. It is also to capture the minority votebank." He added: "Eighty-three crore Hindus have become political orphans."

The VHP leader said the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader, M. Karunanidhi, were also responsible for the arrest.

Calling the two leaders and Ms Jayalalithaa "Siva Drohi" and "Dharma Drohi," Dr. Togadia said: "They want to finish all our temples. They want to take over our mutts. They want to ban Hindu organisations." The arrest was done to attract Muslim votes in Bihar, Jharkhand and Haryana, all States facing Assembly elections in February next year, he said.

Charge against Rajasekhara Reddy

Dr. Togadia then directed his attack on the Andhra Pradesh Government. He wanted to know whom the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had contacted at the Centre — "the Prime Minister or the Home Minister or the `super' prime minister — while arresting the sant." Pointing out that the Sankaracharya was arrested on Deepavali, the VHP leader asked whether an Imam or a Bishop would be arrested on religiously significant days.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's State general secretary, H. Raja, said Ms. Jayalalithaa had "betrayed" the Hindu community by ordering the arrest. "All anti-Hindu forces have combined together in this matter and should be ousted from the political arena lock, stock and barrel." The Public Prosecutor should be removed for making "extremely objectionable statements" against the Sankaracharya.

Ramagopalan, Hindu Munnani leader, said Ms. Jayalalithaa had become the "greatest enemy of Hindus." He decried the "character assassination" of the Acharya. S. Vedantam, VHP vice-president, called on Hindus to boycott a section of the media that was "acting against the interests of Hindu society." L. Natarajan, V. Ramalingam and Swami Madhusudan, representatives of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, Ambedkar Makkal Iyakkam and the Gaudiya Math, asked the State Government to release the Acharya immediately.

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