National

BJP distances itself from ‘fatwa’ controversy

Bhopal: In an apparent damage control excerise, the BJP on Saturday sought to distance itself from the “Vedanti fatwa” controversy and backed the claim of the VHP leader that he was misquoted.

Ram Vilas Vedanti, a senior VHP leader and former BJP MP, said in Ayodhya that whosoever chopped the head and tongue of DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, for saying Lord Ram did not exist, would be rewarded with gold.

“In a letter to the party, Mr. Vedanti has clarified that he never meant what he was quoted for. He would never resort to such action, he has clarified,” senior BJP leader Prakash Javadekar told PTI.

“We are not agreeable to any undemocratic action,” Rajiv Pratap Rudy, spokesman for the party, told PTI at its National Executive meet here.

In Chennai, VHP International Working President S. Vedantam said the views expressed by Mr. Vedanti were his own. “We’ve come to know through the statement of DMK leader and Electricity Minister Arcot N. Veerasamy that Vedanti has made some provocative remarks in Ayodhya. I wish to clarify that he is not a VHP member. The views expressed by him are his own and the VHP has never subscribed to such views,” Mr. Vedantam said.

The VHP’s main concern was only to reinforce Hindu dharma and it never indulged in personal attacks, he said in a statement here.

Reiterating that the VHP was not against the Sethusamudram project, he said the outfit only urged that the project be implemented without demolishing the Ram Sethu.

Mr. Vedantam urged Mr. Veerasamy to withdraw his threatening statement. — PTI

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