Author:
Publication: The Asian
Age
Date: December 25, 2000
The place could not have
been better and with leaders from 45 countries attending the meet, VHP
president Ashok Singhal could not afford not to announce the "second Ram
Janmabhoomi movement".
The leaders attending
the VHP international coordination committee meeting gave a clarion call
to the Hindus: "Let us all (Hindus) give the final push and accomplish
the dream of Ram Temple in Ayodhya."
"We (Hindus) have always
been on a retreat, but let's now come together to construct the Ram temple,"
VHP executive president Ashok Singhal told the leaders.
"Bhagwan ram ki janmbhoomi
par mandir bankar rahega, chahe kitni bhi adchane hon (We will construct
Ram temple, whatever obstructions come in the way," was the rhetoric at
the meeting.
VHP international president
Vishnu Hari Dalmiya said the Prime Minister's "yes" or "no" has no bearing
on the construction of the Ram Temple. "That (construction of the
temple) will be decided by the Dharma Sansad," he said.
Mr Dalmiya held the Congress
responsible for the burgeoning problem of illegal Bangladeshi migrants.
He also stressed on doing away with the appeasement policy in greater interest
of the nation. Mr Singhal invited people of Gujarat to visit Kumbh
Mela at Allahabad, where more than seven crore Hindus from all over the
world will gather on Makar SankrantiI, January 14.
Replying to a question,
Mr Singhal reiterated that the exact date of construction of the Ram Temple
would be known only after the Dharma Sansad meeting during the Kumbh Mela.
Speaking on the occasion,
VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore came down heavily on "so-called
secular forces" and said, "Our benevolence must not be misconstrued as
our weakness."
He said VHP's behaviour
towards the Muslims is very clear, it does not believe in policy of appeasement.
"Hamara vishwas na tirskar
mein hai aur na puruskar mein, ham to unka parishkar karna chahte hein.
(We don't want to insult them or reward them. We want to reform them),"
he said.
Stressing on the need
to bring back converted Hindus back into the fold, he said more than 70,000
Hindus belonging to Mehrat community (one of the descendants of legendary
Hindu king Prithviraj Chauhan) came back into Hindu fold at a function
in Vayavar near Ajmer.
Elaborating on the second
Ramjanmabhoomi movement and complementing the Prime Minister for support
the mandir cause, he said the VHP activists will visit all the 5.75 lakh
villages of the country to spread awareness among the people.
He further said, "There
have been attacks on Hindu society from the Muslims and the Christians
all over the world, and this is the time we should come together to protect
our interest."
To make his point, he
highlighted the plight of 3.5 lakh Hindus displaced from the Kashmir valley
and 1.7 lakh Hindus, who have been driven away from the North East.