No more talks with govt 8212; HJM

SURAT, DEC 19: As Christmas week begins, the Hindu Jagaran Manch and the State administration appear to be heading for a confrontation ove...

SURAT, DEC 19: As Christmas week begins, the Hindu Jagaran Manch and the State administration appear to be heading for a confrontation over the

former8217;s proposed dharma sabha8217;, scheduled be held at Ahwa on December 25.On Saturday, local officials issued orders banning the assembly of more than four people in the district till December 31; on Sunday, leaders of the HJM said they would have no further dialogue with the government on the issue.

The BJP8217;s former Dangs district president Ramesh Chaudhary, who had quit the party with all fellow office-bearers over the government8217;s stand on the issue, told The Indian Express that the event would go ahead as planned, permission or no permission8217;.

Chaudhary8217;s sentiments were echoed by Dangs district VHP secretary Pradeep Patil, who said the HJM and VHP would hold the rally 8220;even if we have to face police bullets8221;.

At a meeting held on Sunday, representatives of the HJM, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and BJP unanimously decided to not have any talkswith the State Government unless the HJM received permission for the rally and the State Government withdrew its circular banning any organisation from holding any rally coinciding with festival of other community.

Chaudhary criticised the district authorities8217; decision to ban the assembly of more than four persons; it is, he said, aimed at harassing Hindus. 8220;They don8217;t stop Christians from holding meeting in churches, but they stop us,8221; he added.

Dangs Collector J P Gupta, meanwhile, said the order was part of a routine long-term exercise and not directly associated with the rally. District authorities have neither denied nor granted the HJM permission to hold the rally, he said adding that a final decision will be taken 8220;well before December 258221;.

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Gupta also said that the HJM could be granted permission which it had sought if the police and local intelligence deem fit.

The district administration is going ahead with security arrangements. Christian educational and religious institutions havebeen given police protection, as has Sister Carmen Borges, principal of Deep Darshan School which was the focus of attacks last year. She had, in fact, written to the authorities last fortnight asking them not to grant permission to the HJM to hold a rally in view of past incidents.

The dharma sabha8217; is the second of events planned by the saffron brigade. On December 22, the HJM has organised the shilanyas of a Ram temple it is building at Halmodi village in Vyara taluka of Surat district. This village, incidentally, was at the centre of the violence outside Dangs. The shilanyas had been scheduled for December 24, but was brought forward to give HJM leaders more time for the Ahwa programme.