The Hindu : National : Singhal's poser to Vajpayee

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Sunday, Jun 20, 2004

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National

Singhal's poser to Vajpayee

By Our Staff Reporter

BHUBANESWAR, JUNE 19. The senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Ashok Singhal, today asked the former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, to remain within the Sangh Parivar discipline.

"Mr. Vajpayee should clarify whether he continues to be a part of the Sangh Parivar and whether he will remain within its discipline,'' Mr. Singhal said at a press conference here.

Mr. Singhal, however, did not comment on the controversy surrounding Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi. "I have already commented on the issue.''

Asked whether the VHP had plans to become a political party, he said such a situation would not arise. "The BJP will fall in line.''

Maintaining that the Sangh Parivar would run the country, Mr. Singhal said if the BJP and Mr. Vajpayee did not change their stand, the Parivar would take a decision.

The NDA regime was "anti-Hindu." The NDA had lost the recent polls because it had distanced itself from the cause of Hindutva.

The VHP leader also blamed the NDA regime for trying to crush the Ram Janmabhoomi issue.

"Some candidates who stressed the Ram temple issue in Uttar Pradesh in their election campaign won by huge margins.''

Stating that the movement for the construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya was religious in nature, Mr. Singhal blamed politicians for making it a controversy.

All political parties should facilitate enactment of legislation for constructing a temple at the disputed site.

He described the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, as the de facto Prime Minister. "She is running the country.''

On religious conversion, he expressed his apprehension that conversions would increase under the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government. Conversion was the worst kind of violence and it should be stopped.

The Hindus were being converted to Christianity at gun- point in the north-east, he said. He asked the State Governments to set up special task forces to check conversions.

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