The Hindu : VHP to go to people's court

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Mar 14, 2002

National

National

VHP to go to people's court
By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI, MARCH 13. The so-called Hindutva forces today gave a clear signal that they intended to carry forward the `Ram temple movement' through mass mobilisation of the people. And both the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party were unabashedly critical of the Supreme Court's orders prohibiting a `puja' in any form on the Government-acquired land in Ayodhya.

While the Vishwa Hindu Parishad announced it would go to the ``people's court''and organise ``satyagraha'' in every district in the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party stood solidly behind the arguments in favour of a `symbolic puja' on the acquired land in Ayodhya put forward by the Attorney-General today.

The BJP spokesperson, V.K. Malhotra, stated that while no `puja' would now be allowed on the acquired land in view of the Court order, ``surely heaven would not have fallen if the Court had allowed the `puja' (kya koi asmaan to nahin gir jata agar wahan puja ho jati?).'' He blamed the ``secular brigade'' for creating ``pressure (dabav ).'' And finally, arrogating to the BJP the right to speak for all Hindus, he blamed the ``secular brigade'' for being ``Hindu haters and Hindu baiters.'' ``They, the so-called secularists, would be happy if `puja' were to be banned in the whole country,'' Mr. Malhotra added.

The VHP's language was even harsher. Its leaders, Praveen Togadia, Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Giriraj Kishore, issued a statement saying the Supreme Court of independent India had done what even the British did not when they ruled the country. ``While accepting the Court orders we say that for the first time the fundamental right of Hindus to perform `puja' has been snatched from them.'' While Muslims were allowed to offer `namaz' on public roads, Hindus were being prevented from offering prayers on land where 14 temples exist and prayers are said daily.''

Mr. Togadia refused to announce the cancellation of a `symbolic puja' programme for March 15 at Ayodhya. Instead, he said the `sants' would take a decision on that by tomorrow evening. ``The `sants' had taken a decision on the March 15 `puja' and only they can alter that decision,'' he said. Mr. Kishore left for Ayodhya this evening and Mr. Singhal is already there. Both will participate in the decision-making by the `sants.' The other programmes of `yagna' which is taking place in the VHP's workshop would continue, and if `Ram sevaks' are stopped from going to Ayodhya, they would offer continuous `satyagraha' for 10 days.

But perhaps most significantly, the VHP has decided to take the so-called `Ram temple movement' forward by going to the ``people's court.'' Describing the Court orders as ``most unfortunate'', the VHP leaders said they now had ``no option'' but to create a mass movement in favour of building a Ram temple ``at the very spot where Lord Rama was born'', which, in their view, was clearly the disputed site where the Babri Masjid stood before it was demolished in 1992.

Like the BJP, and very much in tune with it, the VHP also blamed the ``secularists'' for creating an atmosphere of tension. ``To deal with this'' the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and the VHP would soon chalk out its ``strategy'', the VHP leaders said, indicating clearly that in the future their target of attack may well be the ``secularists.''

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