The Hindu : `Murder of democracy'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Apr 17, 2003

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National

`Murder of democracy'

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR APRIL 16. The Rajasthan BJP president, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, today described the State Government's action against the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Praveen Togadia, as ``murder of democracy''. It reminded one of the Emergency days, she commented.

In a sharp reaction to the reported application of Section 121 (A) against Mr.Togadia, who was remanded to judicial custody in Ajmer today, Ms. Scindia, in a statement here, said that the action only ``exposed the ignorance'' of the State Government.

``The undemocratic step of the State Government, in trying to stop non-violent and democratic protests against its policies and the registration of a case of sedition against Mr. Togadia, betrays the intellectual vacuum of the State Government,'' Ms.Scindia charged.

In a democracy, it was the Constitutional right of the people to oppose the policies of the Government or to demand its removal. ``If the appeal to the people to change the Government is treason, then we should stop talking about democracy.''

The spokesman of the Rajasthan BJP, Bhawani Singh Rajawat, in another statement, charged that the action against Mr. Togadia was prompted by the Congress' desire to influence Muslim votes and to please the party president, Sonia Gandhi.

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