The Hindu : Gujarat alert against violence

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 26, 2002

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Gujarat alert against violence

By Our Special Correspondent

AHMEDABAD SEPT. 25. The Army has been alerted to stand by for deployment in some sensitive areas of Ahmedabad and other parts of Gujarat today in view of the terrorist attack on the Akshardham temple and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's call for a "Bharat bandh'' tomorrow.

The State Cabinet which met in Gandhinagar under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, also reviewed the law and order situation and decided to take all steps to prevent the recurrence of any post-Godhra violence.

The VHP international general secretary, Pravin Togadia, demanded the immediate "declaration of a war" against Pakistan and refused to guarantee that the "Bharat bandh'' would not repeat the post-Godhra violence. ``I am not an astrologer, I cannot guarantee what will happen tomorrow,'' he said but added that the VHP had appealed for a protest in a "peaceful, democratic way.'' There could not be violence in democracy but how the people would react to the dastardly act, ''I cannot say,'' he said.

Unlike the "Gujarat bandh'' in protest against the Godhra carnage, the ruling BJP this time has not extended its support, nor has the Pramukhswami of the Swaminarayan sect whose temple was under the siege of the terrorists.

But the Shree Mahagujarat Sant Samiti has reacted to the attack strongly, calling the Deputy Prime Minister, L. K. Advani, "ineffective.'' "He merely kept talking of a final assault on the terrorist state but could not prevent the killing of Hindus at any place.

In a joint statement distributed at the VHP office, the Samiti said that Mr. Advani had no right to talk of a Ram temple since he had failed to protect Hindus after seeking votes in the name of the Ayodhya issue.

Describing the attack on Akshardham as an "attack on Hindu culture and traditions,'' Mr. Togadia asked all the political parties, particularly the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, the Congress and the CPI(M) to decide once and for all whether they would remain "accessories'' to more Akshardham attacks or wanted to strike at the root of terrorism. He said more Godhras and Akshardhams would be repeated all over the country if the "pseudo-secularists'' did not mend their ways and stop "pampering the minorities" that encouraged them into more such acts.

Quoting Mr. Advani's statement that the Akshardham attack was the fallout of the successful polling in Jammu and Kashmir, Mr. Togadia said the only solution to the problem was an immediate "invasion and destruction of Pakistan". Otherwise such explanations would put the Central Government leaders to "public ridicule".

He exhorted Hindus in Gujarat not to feel guilty about the post-Godhra violence under pressure from the "pseudo-secularists" and asked Hindus in the rest of the country to display "similar valour.''

Muslims condemn temple attack

A large number of Muslim organisations in the State, including the Tazia Committee have strongly condemned the attack in the Akshardham temple and asked the Centre to give permission to Muslims in India to "invade and destroy all terrorist training centres across the border and even finish Pakistan.''

Meanwhile, the "Gujarat bandh'' call given by the Pradesh Congress in protest against the Akshardham attack evoked little response. Most of the shops and main market places remained open and the offices functioned normally. The PCC spokesman, Hasmukh Patel, however, claimed a "good response'' to the call.

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Gujarat alert against violence