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Thursday,
March 14, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
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RJN, VHP plan to go ahead
Ayodhya, March 15 The two organisations, spearheading the Ram Temple construction movement, asserted that the Supreme Court verdict had only restrained them from holding poojas in the 67.703 acre land, which includes both the disputed and undisputed areas, respectively. “The Supreme Court verdict is not against our shila offering ceremony. It has only restrained the government from allowing any kind of pooja in the 67.703 acre land which includes plot no 159 and 160. So, our March 15 programme stands,” RJN President Mahant Ramchander Das Paramhans and VHP International Working President Ashok Singhal told a crowded press conference here this evening. “There is no change in my programme of offering a shila to Ram Lalla for construction of the temple on March 15 because of the judgement,” RJN President and Mahant of Digambar Akhara asserted. Asked whether his programme will not amount to contempt of court, the Mahant disagreed and claimed that the Supreme Court had not stopped him from offering donation. “The court has not stopped me from offering donation. All devotees donate all kinds of things like money, jewellery for the temple construction and I am going to offer shilas. “I am not going for Bhoomi Poojan or shilanyas. That have already been done,” he said. On the other hand, Mr Singhal quoting the Apex Court’s interim order, said the ball is now in the government’s court whether they allow us to perform our “purnahuti puja” in a place other than the 67.703 acres of land referred to in today’s judgement. “It is the Government, which is trying to prevent us from performing the ‘purnahuti puja’. I had yesterday informed the Faizabad District Commissioner A K Gupta that our entire programme on March 15 will be for about three hours and a maximum of 2,000 persons, including Sants and leaders of the VHP and RJN, will participate in it,” he said, adding, that “now we hope that the government would identify a place for us and allow us to perform puja and offer shila. “We will go ahead with our programme on March 15 and if prevented by the government we will face the consequences,” Mr Singhal said, hinting that they would court arrest in protest. Mr Singhal said sants of the Margdarshan Mandal will meet here tomorrow to chalk out the exact course of action in the light of the apex court’s verdict. He said the VHP leaders in Delhi were in constant touch with the Vajpayee government to impress upon it that their proposed puja would be a very peaceful affair and that they be granted permission. It now solely depends on the government whether they give us the permission or not, Mr Singhal said. Meanwhile, the District Administration further strengthened security arrangements in and around Faizabad to prevent a build-up of Ram sevaks in Ayodhya and to maintain the status quo at the disputed site. Fifty Vedic scholars from Varanasi and Ayodhya have been specially invited for the ceremony on Friday. 
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VHP threatens to launch satyagraha New Delhi, March 13 Vowing to take the temple construction issue to its logical conclusion, VHP General Secretary Praveenbhai Togadia said if the devotees were stopped, the VHP would organise a countrywide satyagraha. “We will keep on trying not only to start the construction process but also to finish it,” he said. Emphasising that public opinion would be mobilised, he said: “We will go to the people’s courts to garner support.” He threatened to launch an agitation against “so called secular forces,” who “polluted the atmosphere by giving bad name to the Hindu devotees” besides depriving Hindus of their “birth right” to perform puja. However, he said the VHP would resort to peaceful means while launching its agitation. A comprehensive strategy was being worked out in regard to the construction of the Ram Temple, he said. “The proposed programme by the VHP on March 15 will be decided by sants and we will abide by that,” Mr Togadia said. Describing the Supreme Court directive as “unfortunate”, he alleged while people of a particular community were allowed to perform `namaz’ even on the roadside, the Hindus were being stopped from performing puja in a town where there were 14 temples. About other religious programmes of the VHP, he said the 100-day long chanting of scriptures, which started on February 24 would go on till June 2. Demanding permission for the ‘kar sevaks’ to enter Ayodhya, he said if they were continued to be stopped then the VHP would be forced to start a countrywide peaceful agitation. Replying to questions, the VHP leader said the movement for Ram Temple construction was not being undertaken on the strength of the BJP-led government at the Centre. “Our movement was very much there even at the time of governments headed by parties other than BJP,” Asked if the VHP would go to the extent of destabilising the Vajpayee government on the Ayodhya issue, he shot back “who are we to destabilise. MPs destabilise governments and VHP has no MPs. We are not a political party.” He asserted that the VHP stood for the construction of Ram Temple and not for destabilising the Government. “We are not challenging the government. We are exercising our democratic rights,” he said. |
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