Senior leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party made it clear that the party does not subscribe to the views expressed by Dr Pravin Togadia, International general secretary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad, who said at Ahmedabad that those who convert Hindus should be beheaded. Surprisingly, none of them were willing to go on record.
Unlike in the past, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad is not celebrating any "Shaurya Diwas" (Bravery Day) on Tuesday and there are no plans by the Muslim community to observe a "Black Day".
The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Wednesday backed the Shiv Sena's protest against Shah Rukh Khan, saying there was 'nothing wrong' in it as the country is not prepared to tolerate a 'Pakistani sympathiser'. VHP international general secretary Praveen Togadia, however, opposed Sena's 'Mumbai for Marathis' campaign. "Mumbai, the financial capital of the country, belongs to the entire country," he said.
Indicating active involvement of Maoist elements in the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxamananda Saraswati and four others, the Crime Branch of Orissa police on Friday submitted chargesheet against seven accused. The chargesheet, filed in the court of sub-divisional judicial magistrate, Baliguda in Kandhamal district four months after the killing, said Maoist leaders had formed a local militia involving villagers for the crime.
Demanding immediate withdrawal of the permission given to a diplomatic delegation from European Union to visit Orissa's riot-hit Kandhamal, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday said the trip could trigger fresh tension in the district."The proposed visit of the EU delegation should be cancelled forthwith and the Orissa government must withdraw the permission granted for the purpose," said VHP state secretary Gouri Kumar Rath.
Drone cameras will monitor the crowds in real time.
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh on Wednesday accused the Biju Janata Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party government in Orissa of working under "pressure" from missionary elements and the Centre to protect real "killers" of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and demanded a central law to ban religious conversion.
'Since the last ten days our own people were spreading canards and propaganada against me and my family.' 'I was upset by this behaviour and I decided that I should not contest this Lok Sabha election.'
"Maoists were given money to train certain youth of a particular community to eliminate Saraswati," inspector general of police, crime branch, Arun Ray told PTI asserting the mastermind of the killings had been identified.
A day after the Nirmohi Akhara voiced its readiness to cooperate with the Ram Lala Virajman for building a temple in Ayodhya following talks with a Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, the man who represented the deity in the court said he did not authorise anyone to negotiate on his behalf.
Representatives of the Shia community on Wednesday flatly rejected Vishwa Hindu Parishad chief Ashok Singhal's offer to hold talks on the Ayodhya issue.Singhal had said that since the Allahabad high court had dismissed the Sunni Waqf Board's suit staking claim to the disputed Ramjanma bhoomi- Babri Masjid land in Ayodhya, the VHP would now hold talks with Shia organisations. "The VHP is now trying to incite a confrontation between Shias and Sunnis," said a Shia cleric.
Under attack from Bharatiya Janata Party for his remarks that '2010 is not 1992,' Congress leader Digvijay Singh on Wednesday hit back saying if Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangha, Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP behave in a responsible manner after September 30, he will reconsider his statement.
"Moves of conciliation are unacceptable to all the parties involved...previous meetings to resolve the issue through talks have remained futile. The option of talks is not open so far," VHP president Ashok Singhal said in New Delhi.
The CPM leader claimed that the recent incidents in Orissa have highlighted the use of violence by these outfits against Christians, including the use of weapons and inflammatory materials to burn houses and churches
With the Allahabad High Court likely to deliver its verdict on Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri mosque title suit next month, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad rooted for a legislation to pave the way for construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati, whose killing last year had triggered riots, had rejected the police's request for deployment of security personnel within the campus of Jalespeta ashram on the grounds that it would not suit its atmosphere.
The Chinese incursions sparked sharp reactions from Indian political parties on Thursday with the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam saying India needed a government with "steel in its spine and not jelly" so that it does not become a "punching bag", while the Samajwadi Party demanded to know the country's military preparedness.
A residential school for girls founded by late Swami Laxmananda Saraswati in Kandhamal district has received a threat that its authorities would meet the same fate as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader who was killed in 2008.
The fundamental construct of India's neighbourhood policy still needs to be what Vajpayee postulated, Manmohan Singh embraced, and Modi energised. It's just that we need to junk domestic politics and excessive religiosity, while acquiring much humility and a renewed respectfulness towards our neighbours, recommends Shekhar Gupta.
The shooting of Kathryn Bigelow's film on Osama bin Laden in Chandigarh to depict the killing of the al Qaeda leader in Abbottabad was stalled on Friday by Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists, who objected to the hoisting of Pakistani flags.
The first death anniversary of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati, whose killing triggered anti-Christian riots in Kandhamal district in Orissa was peaceful on Thursday.
The outfit, however, backtracked on its demand for Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee to resign.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia on Wednesday said the Nehru-Liaquat Ali pact in regard to protecting religious places should be implemented in both Pakistan and India.
The situation in Orissa's Kandhamal district, which was hit by communal riots 3 years ago, has vastly changed and central forces have been withdrawn from there, the Centre told the Supreme Court on Monday. "The situation has vastly changed," Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium told the apex court which is monitoring the situation in the district ever since it was affected by the riots following the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati.
Two home guards were killed and at least 15 others, including several policemen, were injured on Monday as a mob in Haryana's Nuh district tried to stop a Vishwa Hindu Parishad procession, pelting stones and setting cars on fire, officials said.
"Tripura Police have taken up a case against a total of 102 Twitter accounts under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for spreading fake and distorted information related to the recent violence that took place at Panisagar North Tripura," said Jyotishman Das Choudhary, Public Relation Officer of Tripura Police.
The Special Investigating Team probing the 2002 post-Godhra riot cases was prejudiced against him, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia alleged on Tuesday.
"Whatever the sants decide, we will certainly execute that," VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore.
Sunday's yatra proved that it needs both the maturity of locals as well as the police doing their duty, to ensure that a religious procession doesn't turn ugly.
Syed Firdaus Ashraf on the futility of the 'who is a Hindu?' debate.
Seven persons have been sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for two years by two fast-track courts in Phulbani for their involvement in the communal riots in Kandhamal district in 2008.Twenty one others were acquitted by the fast track courts, which disposed off five cases of rioting, violence and house burning in the aftermath of the killing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Laxmanananda Saraswati in August, 2008.
The controversy started a Twitter firestorm with many demanded the Ola to block his account. However, there were many who supported the man's 'right to choose'.
A local court in Ahmedabad on Saturday sent former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani accused in 2002 riot cases to 24-hour police custody and remanded co-accused former Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Jaydeep Patel to judicial custody.
The Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team, in its affidavit, had said that according to some 15 witnesses, Kodnani was present in the Naroda area and was instigating the rioters. Deposing before the SIT, the witnesses had said they saw Kodnani distributing kerosene to the rioters, which she had brought in her vehicle.
Firebrand Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Praveen Togadia was arrested on Friday alongwith his supporters by the Orissa Police as they tried to enter riot-hit Kandhamal district, defying a ban on their visit.
A video clip, purportedly showing some Vishwa Hindu Parishad workers kicking a cow during immersion of ashes of Ashok Singhal in Lucknow.
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