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The VHP had unflinching faith in the Paramhans

By J. P. Shukla

Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans

LUCKNOW JULY 31. Mahant Ramchandradas Paramhans, who died on Thursday, was like a shield ready to absorb any shock that the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, spearheading the cause of the Ram temple, suffered during the course of its movement. He readily accepted responsibility for whatever passed in the name of the temple movement. The Paramhans used to say that he alone was responsible for the "appearance" of idols in the disputed structure in 1949 and also for the demolition of the Babri masjid on December 6,1992. That the Ram temple would be built by no one else but himself was also his claim. This made the VHP leaders have unflinching faith in him whenever they faced a troubled situation.

He was never afraid of losing face. With equal ease, he could raise a battle cry and once threatened to sacrifice his life during the Shiladan programme last year. As the VHP's plans to start a symbolic construction of the Ram temple were stopped by the orders of the Supreme Court, the Paramhans came to their rescue. He sat on a "puja'' and announced plans to donate worshipped stones to the receiver of the acquired land near the disputed site. He threatened that he would take poison if his offer to donate the stones was rejected. The day was saved for the VHP because of his efforts.

A plaintiff in the Ayodhya title suit, the Paramhans withdrew himself from the case a few years ago. But that did not mean the end of his involvement in the temple movement. As head of the Digambar Akhara he enjoyed an elevated status among the religious heads of Ayodhya. Even those who did agree with him never came round to confronting him. He also had immense resources that he could make available to the VHP at the time of need. During the firing on "'kar sevaks'' in 1990 when Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, his Digambar Akhara had been targeted by the security forces as "kar sevaks" had taken shelter within its precincts.

To his credit, the Paramhans did not nurse a personal grudge against the Muslims of Ayodhya. Many among them were his admirers.

In his death, the VHP has lost the chairman of its Ramjanm Bhumi Nyas, an excellent orator with a strong and effective voice capable of moving audiences despite his old age, and a reliable leader who would never ditch the cause of the Sangh Parivar.

The Hindu organisation would naturally find it quite difficult to fill the vacuum caused by his death.

Leaders pay homage

Important leaders of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party, including Ashok Singhal, Mahant Avaidyanath of Gorakhpur, the Union Ministers, Murli Manohar Joshi and Swami Chinmayand, reached Ayodhya to pay their last respects to the departed Hindu leader. The Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, is also expected to visit Ayodhya to pay tributes.

As head of the Digambar Akhara, the Paramhans had a large following among the Hindu public, who rushed to the Akhara premises to pay homage to him. The last rites would be performed on the banks of the Saryu at 11 a.m. tomorrow.

A report from Chennai said e Kanchi Sankaracharya, Jayendra Saraswati, today condoled the death of the Paramahans and said he spent his entire life for the construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya and had "unshakeable faith and devotion" to Lord Rama.

Accusations, counter-accusations

AYODHYA JULY 31. Hours after the death of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas president, Ramchandra Paramhans, accusations and counter accusations between the VHP and its rivals flew fast and thick over the possible cause of his death.

The VHP international president, Ashok Singhal, told reporters that the reported denial of an audience to the mahant by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, in May last and the ``prominence'' given to the Kanchi Sankaracharya, Sri Jayendra Saraswati, over the VHP to resolve the Ayodhya imbroglio was ``taken to heart'' by him that probably caused the first heart attack in June last. The mahant of the famous Hanuman Garhi temple, Gyan Das, on the other hand, accused the VHP leaders of getting the ventilators on the mahant removed leading to death.

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