Ahmedabad, 5 August 2012

Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP)’s Sant Margdarshak Mandal Sammelan in Ahmedabad today was full of the anti-Modi speeches. Some phrases used for Narendra Modi and Gujarat government were harsher than the words used by Congress and Keshubhai Patel.

VHP leader Pravin Togadia who attended the event distributed a five-point resolution to media. The first one attacks the Gujarat government over the issue of saving cows, and Gochar land. The second resolution was about saving river Ganga. The third one was about Ram Janma bhoomi. The fourth one again criticizes Gujarat BJP. It is about renaming Ahmedabad as Karnavati. The fifth resolution demands that India should be declared spiritual nation rather and should cease to be a secular nation.

Togadia distributed another five-page document containing a long list of alleged attacks on Hindus in Gujarat.

When asked about VHP’s role in next Gujarat assembly elections, Togadia said VHP would support only those who protect the interests of Hindus. “We would not support those who instead of protecting cows, allow slaughter of cows,” he said.

Togadia expressed pain on how Keshubhai had to leave the party. He also expressed sympathy with Sanjay Joshi.

Some faces at VHP office today are also regularly seen in MahaGujarat Janata Party’s functions.

Author’s remark

Pravin Togadia is Leuva Patel, and it was alleged that under his leadership in Gujarat, he had tendency of promoting Patels within the organization. Once a big organization in Gujarat, Vishwa Hindu Parishad is nowadays in so poor state that its protest programmes witness attendance of only 20-40 people. Gordhan Zadafia who heads MahaGujarat Janata Party is known as Togadia’s pointman. Zadafia and Keshubhai both are Leuva Patels. VHP is not powerful enough in Gujarat to damage Modi or help Keshubhai. Togadia’s decade old anti-Modi stand has not been successful to cause any damage to Modi and Gujarat BJP. In 2007, just six months before the Gujarat assembly elections, VHP’s then supremo Ashok Singhal had asked Pravin Togadia not to visit Gujarat till the time the elections were over.