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VHP launches 'satyagraha'

By Sandeep Joshi

NEW DELHI MARCH 27. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today launched a week-long "satyagraha" here demanding that the Government immediately hand over the undisputed land in Ayodhya for the construction of a Ram temple.

"The temple movement is a matter of faith and identity of crores of Hindus. Therefore, the Government should immediately pass a law in Parliament to pave the way for the temple construction," senior VHP leaders asserted.

Several VHP activists, led by senior leaders Ashok Singhal, Giriraj Kishore, Praveen Togadia, Acharya Ram Chandra Paramhans, Mahant Avaidyanath and Swami Chinmayanand took out a procession and later courted arrest.

Announcing that religious leaders from all over the country would take part in the "satyagraha", they said that if the Government failed to make up its mind before April 2, the "satyagraha" would be converted into a nation-wide movement to force the Centre to yield to their demands.

Mr. Singhal said Hindus could not wait for the court's verdict, which might take several years.

"Let the court decide on the disputed land, we have no objections to that. But why can't the undisputed land be handed over to us so that we could begin the temple construction. By acquiring the undisputed land, the Government is doing nothing but further complicating the issue."

Mr. Singhal said it did not need any excavation to prove that a Ram temple existed in Ayodhya. And, similarly, the land on which the mosques in Kashi and Mathura stood also belonged to Hindus.

He said that the BJP used the temple issue only as a poll plank to come to power; it had failed to do anything for the temple construction.

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