Andhra Pradesh - Tirupati

Maoist government disrupting Indo-Nepal cultural ties: Togadia

TIRUPATI: Secretary-general of the Viswa Hindu Parishad(VHP), Praveen Togadia on Wednesday accused the Maoist Nepal government of ‘disrupting’ the Indo-Nepal cultural ties.

He cited as example the latest case of its interference with the affairs of the ‘Pasupathinath’ temple, which he alleged, had resulted in the shrine and the deity missing their daily rituals for three days.

Addressing a press conference, he said the four-day International Convention of the VHP also discussed threadbare the Pasupathinath temple crisis and adopted a resolution expressing serious concern over the developments. He said the convention feared that the disruption of the Indo-Nepal cultural ties would have a cascading effect on the two crore Nepalese living in India.

By disrupting the Indo-Nepal cultural ties, the Maoist government was creating problems to the Nepalese living in India, Mr. Togadia said and gave a call to them to protest and assert their position. He said the VHP would try to bring ‘diplomatic pressure’ on the Maoist government to stop the ‘disruption’.

On the jihadi terrorism, Mr. Togadia said that the highest policy planning body of the VHP, at its convention here, noted that Pakistan was using it as ‘tool’ not only to disrupt peace in India, but its economy.

Mr. Togadia also said that the jihadi terrorists would not have executed their operation in Mumbai ‘so precisely’ without ‘local support’. The VHP summit, he said, had drawn up a plan of action to mobilise public against jihadis making forays into India.

Giving details of the programmes, he said that a month-long all-India awareness campaign would be launched on February 20 to make the people aware of the ‘insecurity’ created by ‘jihadis’ and the unchecked infiltration of Bangladeshis into India.

He said as a prelude to the all-India campaign, the VHP would hold a convention of religious heads at Mumbai on January 28.

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