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'Villagers prevented from attending Hindu Jagran Manch rally'

By Our Staff Correspondent

BHOPAL FEB. 12. The president of the Madhya Pradesh Bharatiya Janata Party, Kailash Joshi, said here today that his party would lend full support to efforts by the Hindu Jagran Manch to secure unhindered rights for Hindus to offer prayers at Dhar's Bhojshala near Indore.

The Manch organised a huge public rally in Dhar on February 6, coinciding with ``Basant Panchami." Thousands of devotees converged at the Bhojshala to worship Goddess Saraswati. This is one place in Madhya Pradesh where both Hindus and Muslims offer prayers on fixed days.

At a press conference here today, Mr. Joshi alleged that the Dhar district administration had tried to create tension and vitiate the atmosphere by slapping criminal charges and initiating police action against thousands of BJP workers before "Basant Panchami." Cases under Sections 107 and 111 were registered against 3,500 people living in Dhar's adjoining areas and efforts were made to "terrorise" the villagers to deter them from reaching the district headquarters on February 6. Even posters of Goddess Saraswati were removed by the district authorities at several places, he alleged.

Many Government camps had been organised at different places in Dhar district for free medical check-up, settlement of electricity dues, renewal and validation of arms and transport licences and disbursement of tendu leaf bonus. The villagers were even offered free lunch to attend the camps.

Mr. Joshi said there was nothing wrong in the former Union Minister, Uma Bharti, using the State Government helicopter for attending a BJP workers' meet as she was a representative of the people. The news that the Chief Minister, Digvijay Singh, lending her a helicopter to attend a party meeting has become a major topic of discussion in political circles here.

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