VHP criticises Sonia's refusal to sign
visitors' book at Tirupati
Giriraj Kishore, senior vice-president of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, today criticised Congress president Sonia Gandhi for refusing to sign the visitors' register at the Tirumala Devasthanam at Tirupati during her visit to the Balaji temple there.
Kishore also questioned the wisdom of the temple priests and authorities allowing Gandhi to enter the temple in violation of its age-old tradition.
"It is a fact that Mrs Gandhi is a Roman Catholic and that her daughter is married to a Christian. No one knows whether they have adopted Hinduism," he said.
All non-Hindus visiting the Tirupati temple have to sign the visitors' register. This condition was complied with by former Union minister C K Jaffer Sharief when he had darshan of Lord Balaji recently, Kishore said.
But Gandhi and her daughter Priyanka refused to sign the register despite the priests' insistence, he said.
He alleged that her visit to the Balaji temple was aimed at making a fool of Hindus.
He welcomed the government's decision to appoint a serving Supreme Court judge to inquire into the murder of Australian missionary Graham Stains in Orissa and said the government had been forced to present the facts before the people.
He said Defence Minister George Fernandes's statement had vindicated the VHP's stand that the killing was part of an international conspiracy and that the Bajrang Dal was not involved in it.
UNI
The Christian attacks row
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