Vajpayee disowns VHP
Stern action against anti-secular forces

ON BOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT, Dec 30 (PTI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today virtually disowned the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) for its criticism of the award of Nobel Prize to Amartya Sen and views on attacks on Christians.

Asked how he viewed attacks on Christians in Gujarat, allegedly with the backing of the VHP and the Bajrang Dal, part of the Sang Pariwar, Mr Vajpayee said: "We are not a part ... We are a political party, and violence against Christians cannot be allowed to go on."

He told reporters accompanying him on a holiday to Port Blair: "I do not agree with their views. We are proud of Sen and I would like to meet him more because I want to seek his advice on economic matters."

Asked to publicly disown the VHP for its leader Ashok Singhal's statement that the Nobel Prize to Sen was part of a conspiracy to spread Christianity in India, the Prime Minister shot back: "What am I doing now?"

Emphasising his commitment to communal harmony, he said, "We consider all the world as a family, Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam."

When asked what action his government was taking in view of the provocative statements by VHP leaders about attacks on Christians in Gujarat, he said the state government had been asked to take stern action against those spreading communal disharmony.

"I hope things will be brought under control very soon. It cannot be allowed to go on like this," Mr Vajpayee said.

To a question whether the VHP was inciting communal violence, the Prime Minister said the matter needed to be gone into but added some of the statements by VHP office-bearers were unfortunate.

Asked if he was condemning the VHP statements, he said: "I have already criticised it."

Mr Vajpayee said the Home Ministry has been asked to send a team to Gujarat and that he was also in touch with Home Minister L.K. Advani.

On whether he intended to call a meeting of the National Integration Council to discuss the incidents, he said there was no such proposal at present.

Asked if there was any pattern in the violence, he said most of such incidents were confined to Gujarat.

Stressing that sometimes land disputes also get a communal colour, Mr Vajpayee said there was a need to resolve those disputes.

"In fact, another reason for these incidents is that violence is in the air whatever small may be the differences, they assume a violent character," the Prime Minister said.

He said dissatisfaction had been brewing in tribal areas in other places as well taking the shape of a tribals versus Christians feud in some areas.

The recent violent incidents involving tribals in Orissa was a matter of concern to the entire country, he said.

Mr Vajpayee said leaders moulding public opinion must ensure that small incidents of this type were not allowed to turn serious.

"India is a secular state and all citizens, irrespective of religion, caste or region, are to be provided with full safeguard and security", the Prime Minister said.

Central team meets Gujarat minister

GANDHINAGAR, Dec 30 (PTI) — A two-member team of the Union Home Ministry, which arrived here today for an on-the-spot assessment of the situation in Gujarat in the aftermath of recent alleged attacks on churches and members of Christian community, held discussions with Minister of State for Home Haren Pandya.

The team, comprising Special Secretary of the Union Home Department M.B. Kausal and Joint Secretary Sandeep Bagchee also met the Chief Secretary of the state government, Mr L.N.S. Mukundan, and Additional Chief Secretary of Home, V.V.R. Subbarao, and other senior officials.

The team is scheduled to meet Chief Minister, Keshubhai Patel, later today.

Meanwhile, the arrival of Congress leader Meira Kumar has been delayed. She was to reach here this morning but was still in Mumbai, Congress party sources said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi has deputed Meira Kumar to visit Ahwa and Surat in south Gujarat to prepare a report on the attacks.

Meanwhile, Subbarao told PTI that apart from the situation in Dangs district, the discussions would cover areas like modernisation of the police force.

He said the two incidents in Vyara Taluka of Surat district, where a chapel and a balwadi were damaged by miscreants on Sunday night, had been exaggerated in a section of the Press. Contrary to reports, these places had not been burnt down, he said.

CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi said the Centre should thoroughly probe the premeditated attacks against the Christian community in Gujarat and protect the constitutional rights of the minorities by taking appropriate preventive measures.

He termed the continuing attacks on churches and other Christian institutions in Gujarat and elsewhere by religious fundamentalists as an attack on the Constitution which has secularism as one of its basic tenets.

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu condemned the attacks on churches and Christian missionary schools in Gujarat and said total protection should be given to educational institutions and places of worship of minorities. Describing as "most reprehensible" the attacks on Christians in Surat and Dang districts, Mr Naidu said in a statement here that such instances amounted to offending religious sensitivities of minorities.

CALCUTTA: The Trinamool Congress condemned attacks on the Christians and churches in Gujarat and urged Union Home Minister L.K. Advani to take drastic measures to stop all such heinous crimes.

NEW DELHI: Senior Congress leaders today condemned the "orchestrated" violence against minority communities in Gujarat and sought government action to preserve and protect their rights.

"The Central and the state governments both have an equal responsibility to uphold the Constitution both in letter and spirit," the leaders, including Congress Working Committee members Manmohan Singh, Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel, said in a letter to Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Appealing the Centre to rise to the occasion and take appropriate action, they said secularism was "now under the gravest threats in Gujarat".

Meanwhile, the United Christian Forum for Human Rights has deputed a team to Gujarat to investigate the recent anti-Christian violence.

The team, which will make its probe on behalf of the Church, will visit Dangs and Surat, the worst affected districts in the violence, the forum said in a note today.

It said the team had been appointed by Archbishop Alan De Lastic, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of India and Chairman of the UNFHR.