March-April
2002
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Build-up
February 7: "The
speedy construction of the Ram temple is the only befitting reply to Islamic
terrorism which has shaken the pillars of even the Indian Parliament," he
said. Togadia said it was high time the government banned the madrassas
in the country as they had been converted into factories manufacturing Islamic
militants." February 7:
"I told you, we have had an overdose of these pseudos whom you so fondly
call secularists. These self-appointed secularists can no longer fool the Hindus
who are aware of the elaborate plan to damage our religion and religious
beliefs. Take it from me that our level of tolerance can be stretched no more.
And those who come in our way will be pulverised." February 7: "We
wouldn’t want to sacrifice the present BJP-led Centre that is sympathetic to
our cause. But if it has to go at some stage in the cause of Ram temple
construction, we can’t help it." February 7: "It
will either have to be Pakistan or the mandir. The mosque constructed by Babur
at Ayodhya 450 years ago by destroying the Ram temple and the September 11
attack on the World Trade Centre are symbols of Islamic jihad. It is
necessary for India, Jews and the Western world to come together and fight
Islamic militants." February 7: "If
our government is ready to finish Pakistan, we are ready to wait. However, our
two demands are, take over Pakistan and allow the temple construction. If one is
not happening, the other will. Therefore, we have given time to the government
till March 12." February 11:
"Solution to the Kashmir problem lies through Ayodhya…. The jehadi
mindset has to be defeated at all costs." February 11:
"Besides contesting the legal action, VHP can go to the people and say
that matters of faith cannot be decided by court. They can cite a precedent. The
Muslims did not accept the Supreme Court verdict in Shah Bano case and at that
time, Congress had brought in a legislation to change that verdict." February 11:
"We are ready to face anything and even to face the bullets when it’s a
question of faith." February 12:
"We are everything. BJP, VHP, RSS. So where is the question of a
fight?" February 14:
"We cannot wait for the
judiciary to decide the faith of a particular community." February 14:
"Today a situation has come when no railway station or bus station is safe
from the threat of attack from Islamic terrorists. The only option left before
the country is to declare a full-fledged war against Islamic militants and
defeat it, roundly and squarely." February 17:
"The statements of sants and sadhus never hurt
me." February 19: "The
jehadi mentality that led Babar to destroy the Ram temple at Ayodhya more than
400 years ago was the same mentality that led to partition of the country in
1947, attack on the World Trade Center at New York on September 11 last year and
attack on Parliament on December 13, 2001." February 19:
"No court in the world has
the right, moral or legal, to adjudicate on a matter of faith. The birthplace of
Lord Ram is a matter of faith just as Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus Christ
was of great significance to the Christians. There is no question of shifting
the location of the temple, no matter who had ownership rights to the
land." February 21: NEW
DELHI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad today warned of a "Hindu backlash"
against those daring to oppose the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya on
March 15, even as it made it clear that nothing would now delay the project even
for a day. Several VHP leaders spoke simultaneously from different parts of the
country — Ashok Singhal and Acharya Giriraj Kishore here, Pravin Togadia from
Jaipur and Sadanand Kakade from Kochi - as if to hammer home the point that they
are determined to start gathering the crowds of kar sevaks (voluntary
workers) at Ayodhya from this weekend to get a 10 lakh strong crowd by March 15
when construction would begin at the pravesh dwar (entrance of the
temple), where shilanyas was performed in the late Eighties. February 21:
"If a masjid has to be
constructed, it should be done outside the 84 acre area and at a distance which
would not lead to any confrontation." February 21: "When
we say clearly there was a temple and it is the birth place of Ram, the Muslims
refuse to discuss the matter." February 22: The sant who has been the spearhead of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and a major Hindutva protagonist has given a call for arming all Hindus "if India was to be saved from disintegration." Ramchandra Paramhans, who heads the powerful Digamabar Akhara in Ayodhya, feels it was high time India discarded the ‘Soft State’ tag. In an exclusive
interview to The Pioneer, Paramhans argued that the Ram Janmabhoomi
movement was also aimed at elimination of terror and in these disquiet times,
all Hindus should be given arms. He asserted, "Even we are ready to suspend
the temple movement and engage ourselves in the protection of our borders." February 22:
"BJP does not need Muslims to form government in UP." February 23: (Bajrang Dal national convenor) SK Jain said 20 lakh Dal activists carrying the "trishul" would march to Ayodhya, adding, "they are ready to face any situation." The Dal leader said: "If any Muslim organisation makes an attempt to rebuild the Babri masjid at Ayodhya, the Bajrang Dal would chant Hanuman Chalisa at Delhi’s Jama Masjid." The Dal had drawn up a
list of 3,000 mosques across the country that were built after demolishing
temples, Jain said. If Muslims did not respect the sentiments of millions of
Hindus, the Dal would not be able to stop a "massive upsurge" against
these mosques, he said at the VHP office. February 23:
VADODARA: An altercation
between people and VHP supporters in Tankaria village, Bharuch, over an alleged
incident of cow slaughter turned violent when a man died in police firing.
Trouble started when some VHP men, led by Vadodara-based advocate Jatin Vyas,
went to Tankaria around 12 noon to record on camera what he said was large-scale
cow slaughter. ‘‘Last year, too, our men with the help of the police seized
some cow-laden trucks near the village. Along with some VHP men, I went to the
village to film the slaughter,’’ Vyas said. He sought police intervention to
stop the alleged slaughter. February 26:
NEW DELHI: A defiant VHP on
Tuesday night said it was determined to go ahead with the construction of the
Ram temple in Ayodhya from March 15 "at all costs"… "We will go
ahead with the process of construction from March 15 as announced earlier. We
are ready to face bullets or go to jail." |