The Hindu : PM annoyed with Togadia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 08, 2003

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PM annoyed with Togadia

By Neena Vyas

NEW DELHI FEB. 7. The top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Government are annoyed with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, especially its leader, Praveen Togadia, for virtually equating them with Pakistan while talking to the press two days ago.

It has not gone unnoticed that Mr. Togadia scoffed at the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, when he said that he would show what the phrase "a fight to the finish" (aar paar ki ladayi) really meant if the VHP and the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas were not allowed to start the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.

Mr. Vajpayee had used the phrase to signal a "fight to the finish'' with Pakistan after the troop build-up on the borders, following the attack on Parliament 14 months ago, and Mr. Togadia made fun of the fact that nothing happened despite the brave rhetoric.

The view at the top was that such a strong phrase could and should only be used for an "enemy,'' not for friends with whom one may have differences. The leadership is irked that the VHP used the phrase to signal a "fight to the finish'' between the VHP and the Government leadership.

The Centre may have obliged the VHP by filing an appeal in the Supreme Court for vacating the stay on religious and other activities on the 67 acres of land acquired by the Centre in Ayodhya.

But clearly, the petition is also part of the BJP's own election strategy to use the emotional and religious issues in the coming elections.

As the BJP leaders think, either way it would be a win-win situation for the party — if the court rejects its appeal, it would have a ready answer for the VHP and the RSS, and if it were to grant its prayer, that would suit it fine, for it could then go on to the next step of handing over a major portion of the acquired land to the VHP-controlled trust (which "owned'' it because the Uttar Pradesh Government had earlier acquired nearly 40 acres from other owners and handed it over to the trust).

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