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Magsaysay awardee to counter VHP `trishul diksha' programme

Lucknow June 1. The Magsaysay award winner, Sandeep Pandey, would distribute the "Bhagwad Gita" to the people on June 6 at Sultanpur where the VHP plans to hold "trishul diksha" programme on the same day.

Mr. Pandey, who is also the convener of the National Alliance for People's Movement, said that he wanted to defeat forces such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on a popular level. ``The Bhagwad Gita is the greatest of the Hindu religious texts and encourages one to stand up to his beliefs in a non-aggressive way.''

Criticising the VHP's programme, he said such activities presented the Hindu religion as an aggressive one — which was completely false. Such activities had nothing to do with religion but were aimed at winning the electorate. ``They are polarising votes for the BJP.''

The State president of the Loktantrik Samajwadi Party, Anup Sanda, supporting the Magsaysay awardee's "counter programme", said that though cow slaughter had been banned, beef was still being imported into the country. ``In fact, it figures in the list of duty-free goods being imported into the country.''

Mr. Pandey said at least a thousand people, including some from the minorities, would attend this programme in Sultanpur. ``If we are successful, we would implement the programme elsewhere too.'' — UNI

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