VHP to take aggressive stand on Hindutva

Judging by the mood of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad during its recent weeklong meet in Pune, it is clear that VHP is going to be aggressive in its Hindutva stand and especially on the issue of Ram Janambhoomi.

The VHP's mood could be gauged from the firebrand Parishad leader Pravin Togadia issuing a stern statement asking the BJP to come to aid of the Hindutva agenda.

"We will not allow the BJP to budge even a inch from the ideology of Hindutva and that on this issue we are even ready to confront our Bhishma Pitamaha (Vajpayee)," Tagodia said.

Ashok Singhal, international working president, dropped another bombshell on the sidelines of the meet when he said that LK Advani's rath yatra in the 1990's had damaged the cause of Hindutva by politicising the Ram janmabhoomi issue.

"Rath yatra se hamara Ram janmabhoomi andolan ek pakshaka ban gaya" (rath yatra made our Ram Janmabhoomi agitation a one party affair), he said.

Before the rath yatra, people from different parties used to come to their platform, but after the yatra others stopped coming as the issue got politicised, he added.

Singhal did not mince words to say that the VHP would not hesitate to confront the Centre on the issue of construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya.

"We are committed to the Hindutva cause and parties who support our ideology should not deviate from Hindutva," Tagodia said.

The leaders praised Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi and Togadia and even mentioned the name of the Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, but did not even once praise Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or any other BJP leader in their Dharmsabha.

The results of the Gujarat elections have made VHP more aggressive. Singhal was candid enough in saying that "the electoral victory in Gujarat is not the victory of any political party but the victory of Hindutva".

These issues could have prompted Prime Minister Vajpayee to take a swipe at VHP without naming them. He made a veiled attack on the champions of Hindutva in Goa by saying that the concept was being projected by some people in "narrow, rigid and extremist manner".

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is likely to put more pressure on the BJP on the issue of Ram janmabhoomi after February. This is because from February 22 to 25, a Dharmasansad of sants (religious congregation of saints) is going to take place in New Delhi.