Togadia: BJP plans protests, meets

After having stayed off the issue for almost a week, the BJP today announced that it would launch a state-wide agitation and burn effigies o...

After having stayed off the issue for almost a week, the BJP today announced that it would launch a state-wide agitation and burn effigies of Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot at tehsil offices from Tuesday to protest against the arrest of VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia.

Charging the Congress with pandering to the minority vote bank and ‘‘murdering democracy’’, BJP spokesman Kalicharan Sarraf said the government order banning ‘‘trident-like weapons’’ was aimed at diverting people’s attention from the government’s failures.

He told reporters that party Rajasthan unit chief Vasundhara Raje will meet Togadia on Tuesday and would also preside over a meeting of BJP office-bearers, presidents of various fronts of the party, MPs and MLAs at Ajmer the same day.

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The BJP will take the issue to the people during the party’s ‘Parivartan Yatra’ starting from Rajasmand district on April 27, as well as hold a public meeting in Ajmer on April 30.

The announcement came even as the Rajasthan police arrested a VHP worker today for displaying a trident and ‘‘violating’’ the Arms Act at Prithviraj Chowk in Pali district of the state. Narendra Parmar was arrested after a VHP dharma sabha in the town, Inspector General of Police (Law and Order) A.K. Jain said. ‘‘No provocative speech was made. The dharma sabha ended peacefully,’’ Jain added. The VHP has called for a bandh in the town tomorrow to protest against the police action.

Another dharma sabha was organised by the VHP in Bhinmal in Jalore district. A number of local VHP, Bajrang Dal and BJP leaders were present at the functions.

‘‘We strongly condemn the police action against Togadia. We believe that the government has insulted Hindu religion and Hindu gods by its order banning tridents,’’ Sarraf said, likening the arrest to days of the Emergency.

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BJP national president M. Venkaiah Naidu also demanded the release of Togadia today, saying ‘‘the arrest is politically motivated and guided by considerations of the Congress’s vote bank politics’’.

Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal today asserted that it would continue to hold trishul dikshas at the village level to strengthen Hindutva and ‘‘fight pseudo-secular forces’’. ‘‘Bajrang Dal activists would come on the streets to fight against the pseudo-secular forces trying to appease Muslims by hurting Hindus,’’ the Bajrang Dal’s national convenor Prakash Sharma said.

Asserting that carrying of tridents was a religious right of every Hindu and a ban on it would not be tolerated, he said trishul diksha would be held at village level throughout the country during July-August to strengthen Hindutva.

Sharma said the Bajrang Dal would also replace its slogan ‘‘Jo hindu ka hit karega, voh desh mein raj karega’’ (Those who benefit Hindus would rule the country) with ‘‘Trishul bantega, desh bachega’’ (Tridents will be distributed, country will be saved)’’.