BJP moves away from VHP, Dal

AHMEDABAD, Aug 2: Worried about its image being tarnished by the violence in the city, a rattled Bharatiya Janata Party BJP today sough...

AHMEDABAD, Aug 2: Worried about its image being tarnished by the violence in the city, a rattled Bharatiya Janata Party BJP today sought to distance itself from the Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHP and the Bajrang Dal. An indication of this came from BJP general secretary Gordhan Zadaphia who charged the Congress with linking BJP with 8220;any activist of the VHP or Dal8221;.

Bajrang Dal, on its part, stated that none of its activists was involved in the burning of Bhagyodaya restaurant on Saturday night. A statement from Dal state unit convener Ranchhodbhai Bharwad charged the Congress with 8220;spreading lies8221; about the incident.

Bharwad said that just because two Dal activists who had gone to the hotel for snacks got burnt in the incident did not mean that the Bajrang Dal was involved.

Pointing out that the injured activists had admitted themselves in a general hospital, he wanted to know whether real trouble-makers would admit themselves in a general hospital. He also wondered why the restaurant owner, who was also injured, had admitted himself to a private hospital.

The BD leader accused the hotel owner of implicating the organisation and trying to give the incident a communal tinge. He demanded unbiased police investigation and alleged that the police had refused to entertain Bhaskar Bhatt8217;s complaint. He also said that some police officers were acting at the instance of the Congress.

In their statement, Zadaphia and BJP state unit vice-president Amit Shah charged the Congress with adding fuel to the fire because its electoral prospects were dwindling due to the BJP government8217;s pro-people measures. Had the police not seized 70 petrol bombs from a city area, the Congress would have ignited violence.

They alleged that Congress president C D Patel and Leader of Opposition Amarsinh Chaudhary had visited a quiet Juhapura on July 29 night and incited people, leading to violence the next day. They said that those accused of the violence in Shah Alam were all Congress activists. The Congress leaders had hatched a conspiracy at a meeting in Circuit House during the visit of Sonia Gandhi last month, they claimed.