The Hindu : National : Government imposing `poisonous ideology': Vajpayee

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Wednesday, Jul 07, 2004

National

National

Government imposing `poisonous ideology': Vajpayee

NEW DELHI, JULY 6. The former Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, today hit out at the Government for removing four Governors, alleging the Congress-led ruling coalition was trying to impose a ``poisonous ideology'' on the country which amounted to sowing seeds of ``another partition''.

``There is an effort to impose a poisonous ideology on the nation.... They (Government) say only those following their ideology can become Governors,'' Mr. Vajpayee said.

Mr. Vajpayee strongly defended the ideology of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), saying it was ``nationalistic. The BJP was prepared to ``fight the war of ideologies'' with the Congress in view of the ruling party's ``mentality''.

Mr. Vajpayee who was addressing a function got up to celebrate the 103rd birth anniversary of the Jan Sangh founder, Shyama Prasad Mookherjee, here, attacked the Home Minister, Shivraj Patil, for his remarks that the Governors had been removed because they belonged to a ``different ideology''.

Conspiracy

While alleging that Mookherjee was killed in 1952 as part of a ``conspiracy'' between the then Jawaharlal Nehru-led Central Government and the Jammu and Kashmir Government, Mr. Vajpayee recalled his association with Mookherjee and the days when the Jan Sangh leader took up the cudgels for the then requirement of permit to enter Jammu and Kashmir.

Mr. Vajpayee said his effort and ``sacrifice'' had ensured the non-separation of the border State from the country.

``When Mookherjee decided to violate the permit rule by entering the border State without a permit, we thought the Punjab Government would arrest him and prevent him from proceeding further. However, that did not happen,'' recalled Mr. Vajpayee, who accompanied the Jan Sangh leader on his mission.

``Later, we came to know that the Jammu Government and the Nehru Government had entered into a conspiracy, as per which it was decided that Mookherjee would be allowed to enter the State but not be allowed to leave,'' he alleged. — PTI

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