Manmohan Singh represented the finest aspects of India, asserts Aakar Patel.
The carving work by artisans had been carried out uninterrupted since 1990 when Mulayam Singh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party was Uttar Pradesh chief minister.
Reacting to the grand old Congress party's decline to the 'pran-pratishtha' ceremony invitations of Ram Lalla in Ayodhya, Digvijaya said that the ruling party had turned the event into a BJP and VHP event.
Acharya Satendra Das, the chief priest of the makeshift temple at the dispute site in Ayodhya, alleged that VHP's yatra from here was politically motivated and not religious and that saints were being used for "vested interests".
Amid raging controversy over conversion in the country, a batch of 30 persons belonging to eight families of Scheduled Caste Christians were re-coverted to Hinduism under the auspices of Vishwa Hindu Parishad in the district on Sunday.
Close on the heels of the much-hyped '84-kosi parikrama' on August 26 last, yet another 'fixed' match between the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Samajwadi Party was witnessed in Ayodhya on Friday when blatant posturing by the two sides ended in a damp squib.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday inaugurated its controversial yatra from Ayodhya amidst a massive crackdown launched by the Uttar Pradesh administration which has arrested senior VHP leaders Ashok Singhal and Praveen Togadia, and over 500 people.
VHP national working president Alok Kumar also rejected questions about the muhurta of the event, saying the 'best advice' has been taken including from the Head of the Jyotish Department of the Banaras Hindu University on timing of the ceremony.
In doing so, it further cemented the community's determination to support the opposition. But at the same time, it consolidated its Hindu vote bank like never before.
Wearing saffron scarves and holding saffron flags, the Bajrang Dal and VHP activists on motorcycles raised 'Jai Sriram' slogans.
The city unit of the VHP on Tuesday said it would stage protests on the riverfront against the Valentine's Day celebrations, which, the outfit claimed was "against Indian culture".
A video clip, purportedly showing some Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers kicking a cow during immersion of ashes of Ashok Singhal in Lucknow.
The VHP leaders presented a memorandum to the President, seeking an immediate ban on the conversion activities of Christian missionaries and foreign funds to these organisations. They also demanded a thorough scrutiny of the accounts of these Christian missionaries and urged the President to ensure that no foreigner is allowed to practice religious conversion in the country.
According to police, the alleged stone pelters came on two bikes and sped off. Following the incident, heavy police deployment has been put in place.
Asserting the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute could be resolved only by Parliament and not by a court of law, the Vishwa Hindu Parishand today said it would initiate efforts at the Maha Kumbh in Allahabad to ensure that those sensitive towards the sentiments of Hindus were elected to it in a large number.
Without naming the BJP, Joshi added, "We are not begging for it. We are expressing our emotions. The country wants 'Ram rajya'."
The BJP and its senior leader L K Advani may have closed the chapter on the Jinnah controversy, but for the VHP, a key member of the Sangh Parivar, the issue is not yet "clear". "Things have to be made clearer by him (Advani)," senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal said on Thursday.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Monday said that construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya is on its agenda.
The VHP leadership notes that 'ghar wapsi' wasn't something started after the Modi govt took over. Archis Mohan reports
The district administration has prohibited the entry of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia to sensitive Kandhamal in Odisha on Saturday fearing trouble.
The twin towns of Ayodhya and Faizabad were on the edge on Saturday as tension mounted on the eve of VHP's yatra with the UP government cracking down on the saffron outfit arresting some of its leaders and over 350 activists.
After boycotting Bharatiya Janata Party president Lal Kishenchand Advani on the first day of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh national executive in Haridwar, top Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders are expected to attend the meeting on Saturday.
The 'deliberate attack' on a Hindu temple in Canada sparked strong condemnation in India on Monday, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking the Canadian government to ensure justice and uphold the rule of law.
The day-long bandh has been called by the VHP to give vent to the feelings of Hindus over the unjust arrest of the Kanchi seer.
New BJP President L K Advani could not attend due to other urgent engagements
Gujarat was labelled Hindutva's crucible and Modi was to become the chief 'chemist'. A revealing political saga excerpted from Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay's The Demolition, the Verdict and the Temple: The Definitive Book on the Ram Mandir Project.
Terming Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik as 'anti-Hindu', the VHP today said it would launch a statewide campign to generate awareness on the necessity to protect Hindu religion.
"PWD officials had informed us that a wall of the mosque was in PWD land and we were served a notice. So we decided to demolish the wall," Iqbal Ali, a member of the mosque committee, said earlier.
The outfit proposes to hold a meeting at the town to decide on the construction of the Ram Temple.
The Lucknow bench of Allahabad high court on Monday granted reprieve to arrested Vishwa Hindu Parishad leaders as the ruling Samajwadi Party prosecutors chose to soft peddle on them.
A day after the Uttar Pradesh government banned its proposed 'Sankalp Diwas' rally, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Tuesday vowed to go ahead with its programme even as the district administration said it was determined to thwart any such plan.
At the 'Sarva Jatiye Mahapanchayat', participants from Palwal, Gurugram and other nearby places took part, and it was decided that the yatra will resume from Nalhar in Nuh and then pass through Firozpur Jhirka's Jhir and Singar temples in the district.
Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas was formed by the members of the VHP on December 18, 1985, with the aim of constructing a grand temple at Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya.
The 89-year-old died at a private hospital in Gurgaon.
Asked about VHP's future plan of action, the leader asked the media to wait till January two when it would "play its 'Hindu card' for political parties" with its charter of demands.
As the temple is inaugurated, unfortunately for Advani but unsurprisingly for the rest of us, the architect of the party's rise will not lead the ceremony and claim credit for his achievement, notes Aakar Patel.
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad is planning to introduce toll-free helpline in Hindu pilgrim centres across the country.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists on Friday tore down the posters of Shah Rukh Khan starrer 'My Name is Khan' and caused ruckus in a bid to halt the release of the film in Ahmedabad and Jamnagar in Gujarat.
When his attention was drawn to the statements of Biju Patnaik, Sharad Yadav and other prominent leaders who have described Bajrang Dal as a violent organization, Prasad said that there was ideological difference but BJP does not agree with that perception.
