The Hindu : Cong. may extend ban on tridents

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 15, 2003

National

National

Cong. may extend ban on tridents

By Sunny Sebastian

BIKANER APRIL 14. The ban on "trishul dikshas'' and the arrest of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader, Praveen Togadia, in Ajmer the other day in connection with such a function dominated the first divisional rally of the Congress held in this desert town today. The Congress seemed to be in a combative mood over the issue, appreciating the steps taken by the State Government and even daring the VHP-Bajrang Dal-BJP combine to try such "tricks'' again.

The senior leaders of the party, Ambica Soni and Salman Khursheed, amply made it clear that the current crackdown on the VHP's trident distribution ceremonies had the blessings of the party High Command. In fact, Ms. Soni hinted that if needed, the ban could be extended to other Congress- ruled States as well.

``BJP has forgotten `gai and garib'(cow as well as the poor people),'' Ms.Soni alleged, trying to drive home the argument that the people of Rajasthan and their livestock needed relief in these difficult times of drought and scarcity.

Their conviction on the cow front seemingly came after the visit of Ms. Soni and Mr. Kursheed to Nal Bari near here, a unique cattle camp providing shelter to over 30,000 cows.

Ms. Soni pointed out that when the bovines faced such a severe threat of extinction due to drought, the VHP was not running even a single cattle camp in the whole of the State. She also said that the State Government was holding on with its own resources despite the apathetic attitude of the Centre towards the drought-affected.

"We will not let a Gujarat happen in Rajasthan,'' Ms. Soni asserted. "In Gujarat, they could do all they did because the Narendra Modi Government was in power there,'' she said. In the run-up for Gujarat elections, it was Narendra Modi and Praveen Togadia campaigning all the way. Even senior leaders of the BJP such as Sushma Swaraj and Pramod Mahajan were asked to keep out, she charged.

``In Rajasthan, the Congress Government will not allow a free run for the VHP and Bajrang Dal,'' she warned. Ms. Soni referred to the arrest of another senior leader of the VHP, Acharya Dharmendra, in Madhya Pradesh sometime back.

``Initially Acharya Dharmendra said he would not seek bail. Yet within a week's time a bail was moved from Delhi,'' Ms. Soni noted. No worker was going to follow such leaders to jail. They don't have that kind of following, she said.

The black flag demonstration by a small group of men in the crowd curiously was not prompted by action against Mr. Togadia. The demonstrators turned out to be a band of farmers led by the All India Kisan Sabha protesting against non-provision of power connections to farmers who had dug tubewells in their fields in Dungarpur teshil in Bikaner district.

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