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VHP backtracks on temple
construction date

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Thursday appeared to be backtracking from its stand of declaring a deadline for starting construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.

This was visible in the sharp reaction by VHP supremo Ashok Singhal to queries in this regard.

Denying that he had ever said that the date for temple construction would be announced by him during the Kumbh Mela, the VHP chief told rediff.com, "The date is to be decided by the sadhu sant samaj, which will assemble here from January 19 to 21."

Surrounded by half a dozen automatic gun-wielding Black Cat commandos, Singhal was visiting the sprawling VHP camp being erected for the 'dharam sansad' (religious parliament) along the banks of the Ganga in the mela area.

He said, "I never said that VHP would decide the date; I have stated all along that it was the prerogative of the country's sadhu community to decide when to start construction of the temple; we will simply carry out their wishes as their devoted followers."

When his attention was drawn to the much-voiced dissociation of the Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, that was among the key representatives of the Indian sadhu community, Singhal shot back, "There may be only one in a hundred sadhus who may be opposed to our temple movement."

Accusing such sadhus of "playing petty politics", he charged, "Well, you see, some sadhus are actually politicians, but let me tell you, the Ram Mandir is not a political issue and whoever tries to politicise the issue will not succeed." He added, "Some politicians are trying to create dissent among the sadhus."

Training his guns on opponents, who had publicly declared their difference of opinion with the VHP, he charged, "Those opposed to the temple in any manner just cannot be sadhus."

He , however, fumbled when told that even leading sadhus of the most prominent Juna Akhara, as also the Akhara Parishad (the controlling board of seven akharas) had expressed dissociation from the temple movement. "This cannot be. You must have misunderstood them", he pleaded.

Yet, barely an hour earlier, Juna Akhara sabha pati (chairman) Mahant Sohan Giri Maharaj, as also Mahant Shree Kishanjee Maharaj of the Shree Ramanand Sewa Ashram (also a part of the Juna Akhara) had told rediff.com, "We have nothing to do with either the VHP or the temple."

Another senior Mahant of the Akhara Parishad clearly spelt out their priorities. "We are the oldest custodians of the Hindu religion and our priority is to ensure the protection of 'shastras' (scriptures), 'sanskar' and 'sanskriti' (culture) - it is none of our business to be meddling with the VHP's movement for the temple or against the mosque."

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