M A I N   N E W S

VHP leaders to challenge Rae Bareli verdict

Lucknow, September 30
Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) international president Ashok Singhal today said that he and other leaders of the organisation would challenge the special Rae Bareli court’s September 19 verdict on framing of charges against them in the Babri Masjid demolition case.

Mr Singhal told mediapersons here that they would soon file a criminal revision petition in the Allahabad High Court.

Other VHP leaders against whom charges were ordered to be framed included Mr Giriraj Kishore, Mr Vishnu Hari Dalmia and Sadhvi Rithambhara.

Though Mr Singhal said the criminal revision petition would be filed collectively, he did not specify whether it would include BJP leaders Uma Bharti and Vinay Katiyar.

On the issue of Union minister Murli Manohar Joshi’s resignation, Mr Singhal said today’s stay on proceedings against the minister had given breathing time to the Prime Minister and saved him from taking an unpleasant decision in the matter.

Mr Singhal also made a scathing attack on BJP leaders, charging them with hypocrisy and doublespeak on the Ram temple issue even as he warned the Uttar Pradesh Government of dire consequences if it obstructed the outfit’s October 17 programme at Ayodhya.

Terming the saffron party’s leaders as hypocrites, Mr Singhal said the NDA was hostile to the Ram temple agenda.

He said a legislation to facilitate the construction of a Ram temple was possible if Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee so desired.

The VHP chief said over three lakh persons were expected to reach Ayodhya from all over the country on October 17.

Citing the ASI report on excavation, Mr Singhal said it had proved the existence of a Hindu temple at the disputed site.

He announced that at least 15,000 Hindu religious leaders would travel across the country between October 6 and 12 and organise over 4,000 ‘sankalp sabhas’ in pursuit of their resolve to construct the temple at the disputed site. — PTI