Of Crawling, Brawling Growling Saffron Shitworms
Sid Harth
VHP Searching for new Ayodhyas With Dharma Sansad in mind,
Sangh parivar looks for new issues Kanhaiah Bhelari/Sasaram, Palash
Kumar/Delhi and Frederick Noronha/Goa
Jawahar Prasad is a man of action. And words. So it is only natural
that he courts controversy. The former legislator from Sasaram in Bihar
is the rallying point of Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists who have sworn
to finish the construction of the marriage and prayer halls over a
temple in the premises of the tomb of 16th century emperor Sher Shah
Suri, in Sasaram.
He has the might of the district administration behind him and is
confident of achieving his target. But the Archaeological Survey of
India (ASI) is determined to stop Prasad, and has succeeded in getting
the construction stopped. ASI officers, however, apprehend that Prasad
will have the last laugh.
"I have asked the district administration to take a decision by
December 5," said a confident Prasad. "After that, I will restart the
work." The BJP leader claimed that 2,500 virgin girls were awaiting his
signal to start the kar seva.
Prasad accused ASI Superintendent K.K. Mohammed of fomenting communal
discord by stopping the work. "Nobody objected when the construction of
the temple started in 1970," he said. "The then district magistrate
used to come to the temple to take Goddess Kali's blessings. Mohammed
should have first met the local people before stopping construction."
The temple, completed in 1977, is on a one-acre disputed plot just 200
metres from the tomb. The 52 acres on which the temple, tomb and a few
mosques are situated is under the ASI's control. According to a local
journalist, members of a particular community have built houses on five
acres and cases regarding the encroachment are pending in court.
"In 1977, we had asked the Rohtas district magistrate to remove the
illegal construction," said Mohammed. "We even sent 15 reminders but
the administration took no action. The construction of the halls was
stopped after I wrote to Chief Secretary V.S. Dubey in October."
New battlefield: The tomb of Sher Shah Suri opposite the controversial
temple in Sasaram
The ASI has filed cases against Prasad and the priest Baba Doman Ram in
connection with the illegal construction. The police, who had on
earlier occasions ignored the ASI's complaints, reluctantly cooperated
this time round.
Last year, Prasad allegedly assaulted the ASI's conservation assistant
Sarwan Kumar and threw him down the temple's roof. Fortunately, Sarwan
landed safely into the waiting hands of some employees.
Prasad, who was a tractor driver before he entered politics in 1990,
denied having assaulted Kumar, though he admitted having more than 100
criminal cases against him. "All the cases are false," he said. "I have
not killed even an ant."
What gives Prasad confidence must be the fact that no political leader
would dare demolish the illegally-built temple. "Though the
construction of the temple inside the premises of the tomb is wrong,
the town would face communal riots if it is removed," said Bihar's
Agriculture Minister Chedi Paswan, who hails from Sasaram.
Prasad reportedly has the blessings of opposition leader Sushil Kumar
Modi of the BJP. The VHP is planning a demonstration at the tomb, where
a plaque reportedly announces that it was built after destroying
temples.
If there is one person who remains unaffected by all this hullabaloo,
it is Baba Doman Ram. Unaware of the FIR filed against him, he still
asks devotees to donate money for the construction work.
Elsewhere in the country, too, the VHP is on a confrontation path. It
needs to boost the sagging morale of its cadre before the Dharma Sansad
in January. After Ayodhya, the Sangh parivar has been bereft of issues
and the recent demonstration at the Quwwat-Ul-Islam mosque near the
Qutub Minar, was not an isolated incident.
I have asked the district authorities to take decision by december 5
Jawahar Prasad
The provocation for the demonstration was a plaque at the mosque which
stated that the mosque was built after destroying 27 temples of the
12th century. "When Muslims can pray at the mosque, why can't we
install idols where the temples existed," asked VHP's Delhi unit chief
Rajendra Gupta, who led the agitation.
About 100 demonstrators held a Devmukhi yagya in front of the mosque
and started a bhajan-kirtan, squatting on the road, before the police
arrested 70 of them. Gupta claimed that statues belonging to the 12th
century Hindu and Jain temples exist near the site. "The statues should
be re-installed and we should be allowed to pray," he demanded. "The
plaque should also be removed." His views are echoed by Acharya Giriraj
Kishore, the VHP's senior vice-president. (See interview.)
Historian Akhilesh Mithal, while accepting the fact that temples were
destroyed to build the mosque, argued that they might well belong to
the Buddhist era. "All the old sites of that period are primarily
Buddhist sites," he said. "It could well be a Buddhist temple. How far
back can you go?"
In Goa, where RSS man Manohar Parrikar is chief minister, the parivar
is moving cautiously. Even though the VHP has been raising disputes
about some churches built by the Portuguese, including the one on Diwar
island off the Goa coast, the saffron brigade is unlikely to raise the
issue as long as Parrikar is at the helm.
One thing emerges clear amid all these claims and counter-claims. The
VHP, after running a virulent campaign against the Christians, is once
again gunning for its favourite target, the Muslims.
Interview/Acharya Giriraj Kishore, VHP senior vice-president
Muslims must apologise if they want peace
What was the provocation for the recent demonstration at the Qutub
Minar?
There is an inscription in the mosque that says, thanks to the powers
of Islam, 100 temples have been destroyed to build it. Such
inscriptions should be withdrawn. If Hindus have done it anywhere, we
will withdraw it. Muslims should not insult Hindus.
What did you achieve by demonstrating?
The entire area belongs to the Archaeological Survey of India but
Muslims have been allowed to pray at the mosque. That is why the Delhi
unit of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad performed a yagya at that spot. It
was an effort to create an atmosphere of communal harmony.
Communal harmony by holding a yagya inside a mosque?
No, not inside, outside.
But it was inside the compound of a historically recognised Islamic
structure.
There is no logic in that. I can also ask why they [Muslims] asked for
Partition. It is eight years since Ayodhya and the structure is still
being called Babri Masjid.
So what do you want?
Muslims must apologise if they think they are the descendants of those
who demolished our temples. They must apologise if they want peace.
Palash Kumar
http://www.observerindia.com/news/200011/19/main02.htm
Plainspeak
Rajiv Shukla
Advani deserves his due
There are quite a few personalities in Indian public life who were
completely misunderstood in the perception of the public as well as the
media. Careers of a number of people have been ruined because of wrong
rep utations, and in politics perception is more important than the
truth.
If V P Singh was a beneficiary of wrong public perception, Rajiv Gandhi
was a loser. H N Bahuguna was also a victim of wrong images. When
Chandrababu Naidu took over Andhra Pradesh after a well thoughtout coup
against his father-in-law, he carried a tarnished image of a
backstabber, con spirator and manipulator. Today he has turned out to
be the most competent chief minister with an altogether different
public opinion.
Similarly, L K Advani is also suffering because of a wrong image
imparted by a section of the media and certain political circles. From
the day he assumed the second most powerful office in the North Block,
his image has been that of a hardcore RSS man who runs, or at least
tries to run, a parallel totalitarian administration inside the
Vajpayee government.
The most scathing allegations against him have been those of outright
communal bias and a total absence of political adaptability. The media
and political opponents always targeted him as the man with a hidden
agenda. He was allegedly plotting overtime to harass the Congress and
the Left-run state governments.
He was perceived as the biggest spoilsport whose non-compromising
attitude worked as a de-cementing fac tor inside the National
Democratic Alliance. As a home minister, Advani's failures in handling
the Kashmir affairs, and later the Kandahar hijack crisis, were
attributed to his inability to run the sensitive office of the home
affairs.
Now after almost his three years in the office, one may objectively
analyse his performance. If fair assessment is made, all these charges
turn out to be baseless. In fact, he has proved to be the most active
home minister with a totally balanced approach towards all sensitive
issues. On a number of occa sions, he has shown statesmanship of the
highest order by giving weightage to the views of the opposition
parties. Contrary to what his critics claim, not a single decision
taken by Advani can be branded as a communal one. In fact, it is during
his regime that Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal have been
isolated. Advani's secular creden tials should not be questioned after
his successful handling of the sensitive issue of atrocities against
the Christians. Within weeks, the issues, which attracted international
attention, fizzled out after Advani called the ISI bluff by exposing
Darul Anjum's involvement. No further incident of Christian bashing was
recorded after the crackdown.
Advani has also shown remarkable political flexibility in keeping the
NDA together. A number of alliance partners, who are sensitive about
putting up with the so-called Sanghi elements in the BJP, never had any
problem with Advani.
The home minister exhibited rare political maturity by not unduly
troubling any Congress or Left run govern ment - despite repeated
demand from some of his coalition partners - and exercised welcome
restrain in not applying Article 356. From Vilas Rao Deshmukh to Shiela
Dikshit, no chief minister had any opportunity to crib against the
Centre's proverbial step motherly attitude.
Even in handling the Kashmir situa tion, Advani has broken considerable
ground. His moment of glory came when he managed to bring the militants
to the negotiating table for the first time. Though the initiative was
sabotaged by Pakistan, the home minister must get due compliments for
his pro active Kashmir policy.
Advani can also claim the credit for successfully creating three new
states - a feat last accomplished as far back as during Indira Gandhi's
tenure. Critics anticipated that creation of three new states will open
a pandora's box and the government would be rocked by dozens of similar
demands. Advani's credit doubles as the home minister successfully
ensured no such chaos took place.
Finally, the oft-repeated allegation that Advani has been eyeing the
top slot in the government and leading the anti-Vajpayee squad inside
the government, doesn't hold ground if one carefully follows the
developments during last three years.
Not on a single occasion did Advani challenge the leadership of the
Prime Minister but played his role as the num ber two in the central
cabinet with the dignity becoming of a leader who has been his party's
unanimous choice as Vajpayee's successor.
In most of the crucial decisions, Vajpayee and Advani were together
without having any difference of opin ion. For example, the decision to
change the Uttar Pradesh leadership was taken jointly by both the
leaders after realis ing the fact that Ramprakash Gupta would doom the
prospects of the party in the state.
The author is a Rajya Sabha member and a noted media personality
http://www.thestatesman.net/page.news.php3?id=4678&type=Pageone&theme=A
Sena holds fire on truce call
STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, Nov. 25. — The Shiv Sena is “content” with the Prime Minister’s
ceasefire offer and is not planning to make it an issue any more,
though it sticks to its views.
“After all, we want the government to run,” said Sena Rajya Sabha
member, Mr Sanjay Nirupam. The party has also accepted that Mr Atal
Behari Vajpayee did not mean what he was quoted as saying over
opposition to the ceasefire call.
The change of heart comes after Mr Vajpayee went all out to smoothen
the ruffled feathers of his ally. First, he gave Sena leaders a patient
hearing, then promised to look into Sena chief Mr Bal Thackeray’s
security, and third, dashed off the minister of state for
disinvestment, Mr Arun Shourie, today to meet Mr Thackeray.
The Sena leader of the Upper House, Mr Satish Pradhan, said: “I checked
the speech recording on Thursday and found that Mr Vajpayee did not
mean what has been reported.”
Asked to elaborate, he said he could not recall the import, but the
Prime Minister never meant the Shiv Sena when he said “one party” was
posing greater danger than extremists. The Sena is, therefore,
convinced with Mr Vajpayee’s explanation that he has been quoted out of
context.
The clarification made by the foreign minister, Mr Jaswant Singh, in
the Rajya Sabha has pacified the Sena for the time being. Mr Singh
yesterday said that though the government might not agree with its
ally, it did take note of its views.
Mr Thackeray himself seems to have decided not to push the matter. He
was briefed about the government’s stand today by Mr Shourie. Their
meeting lasted about four hours. Mr Shourie was accompanied by the
heavy industries minister, Mr Manohar Joshi.
Asked if the Sena would continue to oppose the ceasefire on the floor
of the House, Mr Pradhan said the party would voice its opinion against
the idea whenever the topic comes up. “We oppose the decision and feel
that only a policy of tit-for-tat would work with terrorists.”
Mr Nirupam added the Sena would continue to be the “lonely voice”, as
Mr Vajpayee put it, against the ceasefire. “We will not disturb the
proceedings of the House, but our disagreement will stay.”
Mr Pradhan said much was being read into the return of several Sena MPs
to Mumbai. “We come back every Saturday,” he quipped. There were no
definite plans to discuss the fallout of the fracas, he said.
The Sena delegation that called on Mr Vajpayee yesterday apprised him
of the situation in Mumbai. Four Lashkar-e-Taiyaba terrorists have been
arrested in Thane with plans to eliminate Mr Thackeray.
ABDUCTOR CONVICTED
NEW DELHI, Nov. 25. — The CBI has secured conviction against Mohammad
Yasin Bhat for kidnapping Ms Nahida Imtiaz, daughter of Mr Saifuddin
Soz, former Lok Sabha MP.
The accused, along with some others, kidnapped Ms Imtiaz on February
27, 1991, and demanded the release of five J&K Student Liberation Front
militants from custody as ransom. Some militants had to be released to
secure Ms Imtiaz’s released on March 8, 1991.
Bhat was convicted under Section 364, 365 and 120B of the IPC and under
Section 3 of Tada, and sentenced to six-year rigorous imprisonment with
a fine of Rs 13,000. — SNS
http://www.telegraphindia.com/
DRIVE TO BUY SENA ASSENT ON SELLOFF
OUR BUREAU
New Delhi & Calcutta, Nov. 25:
Union minister Arun Shourie today dashed to Mumbai to meet Shiv Sena
leader Bal Thackeray and persuade him to support the disinvestment
decisions.
Sources in Delhi said the day’s trip was planned after the November 18
Cabinet Committee on Disinvestment meeting where the Sena’s Manohar
Joshi, who looks after heavy industry, objected to the sale of Maruti
Udyog, the only minister to do so.
When Shourie, who is in charge of disinvestment, repeatedly tried to
convince him, arguing that there was nothing imprudent about the move,
Joshi pleaded with him to talk to Thackeray.
Unnerved by the Sena’s opposition, Shourie sought Prime Minister A.B.
Vajpayee’s advice. Vajpayee asked him to visit Mumbai this weekend and
find out from Thackeray what his objections were.
Today’s meeting at Thackeray’s residence Matoshree follows the face-off
between the Sena and the government over the Ramzan ceasefire in
Kashmir.
Though top government sources in Delhi insisted that Shourie’s brief
did not include any discussion on the truce offer, the Sena today toned
down its hard stance and said it will not stand in the way of the peace
initiative.
“We decided not to pursue the matter any longer,” Joshi said after the
four-hour talks with Shourie.
The sources made it clear that while the Prime Minister is willing to
grant a few concessions to the allies on the economic front, he will
not tolerate interference in foreign relations or on Kashmir.
Vajpayee is, however, at a loss to figure out Thackeray’s aversion to
divestment. The government admitted that the move could lead to the
loss of a few jobs in Maharashtra, but other states will be affected as
much.
Vajpayee wants to convince the Sena that unlike the RSS, it has to take
unpopular decisions if it has to stay on in the government and survive
as a political party.
Though there was apparent unanimity at the November 18 meeting, Joshi
told reporters the next day that no “in-principle decision” had been
taken to sell off the government’s stake in Maruti.
He clarified that the Cabinet had only decided to set up a committee of
secretaries who would consult Suzuki on the options available. Joshi
had made it clear that he could not be party to a decision to which
Thackeray might object.
Shourie is learnt to have succeeded in making the Sena chief see
reason. Thackeray said his objection was to a Sena minister presiding
over the selloff.
--
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