"Dogs can bark in Maharashtra, donkeys can bray. So, why can't a Hindu leader speak over here?"
"If I say something wrong, the judiciary can prosecute me," thundered Vishwa Hindu Parishad general secretary Pravin Togadia at a religious gathering in Goregaon, a suburb in north Mumbai.
"I will deliver my speech. No one has the right to stop me," he insisted.
Togadia's ire was directed at the Congress-led coalition government in Maharashtra, which last week had stated that he would be arrested if he tried to make a speech at the week-long gathering, referred to as the Bhagvat Katha Saptaah.
Other VHP leaders, including Ashok Singhal, Sadhvi Rithambara and Dharmendra, are also expected to attend the event.
The idea of arresting Togadia was dropped and instead policemen posted at the venue kept a strict vigil on the goings-on.
"Has Maharashtra become Pakistan? Is the Muslim League ruling this state? If not, why can't a Hindu leader speak over here?"
"In the last four years, I have come to Maharashtra a hundred times and have never caused any trouble anywhere. Forget Maharashtra, in the 15 states ruled by the Congress, there is not a single case against me for causing trouble anywhere," said Togadia.
"If the Congress continues to behave the way it has been, Maharashtra too will go the Gujarat way," he warned.
Accusing the Congress president of promoting the cause of jihad, Togadia pointed to Sonia Gandhi delivering a speech at the Islamic Centre in the United Kingdom, which he alleged has close ties with Saudi extremist Osama bin Laden's brother.
The VHP leader also accused Sonia of having different standards for Hindu and Muslim leaders pointing out that she never raised objections to the speeches made by the Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid.
"Shivaji had started his war against jihad in Maharashtra and we have begun from Gujarat. We will struggle democratically and if (Chief Minister) Vilasrao Deshmukh is with us, I will support him," said Togadia.
"Our aim is to finish the jihadi forces in India," he said.
His next stop is Pune where the VHP's leaders are meeting in the last week of December to chalk out the future strategy of the organisation.
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More reports from Maharashtra
