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VHP rejects appeal

By Manas Dasgupta

AHMEDABAD NOV. 15. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today reaffirmed its decision to take out the controversial "vijay yatra" from Godhra on Sunday and threatened to make use of the train carnage to "arouse Hindutva." Rejecting the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee's appeal to call off the yatra, the VHP international general secretary, Pravin Togadia, instead urged him to "protect the religious and fundamental rights of Hindus.'' He also hoped that Mr. Vajpayee would not succumb to "pressures'' from the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, and other "pseudo-secularist forces."

Meanwhile, the Gujarat Government has started mobilising the security force to implement the Election Commission ban on the yatra. When the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), Ashok Narayan, was asked about the VHP's decision not to relent, said that "appropriate actions'' would be taken by the administration "whenever they violate the law.'' Narsimha Komar, the District Superintendent of Police of Panchamahals, of which Godhra is the district headquarters, said that additional forces summoned would start arriving by tonight for deployment in Godhra. Prohibitory orders had been imposed in the entire Godhra town banning the assembly of more than four persons and for carrying of arms.

Even as the VHP workers were preparing for the meeting and the yatra on Sunday, Mr. Komar said that the police had prevented the VHP from displaying placards and posters in public places inviting the people to attend the "Dharma Sabha'' to be addressed by Mr. Togadia and the VHP's volatile speaker, Acharya Dharmendraji Maharaj.

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