Sangh looks after its own, friends are welcome too

Besides schools and educational institutions, like Samarth Siksha Samiti and Vaish Agarwal Education Society, which have figured in the firs...

Besides schools and educational institutions, like Samarth Siksha Samiti and Vaish Agarwal Education Society, which have figured in the first four parts of our expose, there are several institutions among the allotees with the stated objective of promoting religious and cultural values in India and abroad. What most of them have in common is the fact that they are mostly affiliated to the Sangh Parivar or have office-bearers who are associated with the Sangh.

In this fifth part of our series, we also resume our walk down Rouse Avenue:

1. Sanatan Dharam Sabha
• Area allotted: 852 square yards at R K Puram’s
Sector 8 in February 2000
• Price paid: Rs 1,818 per square yard
• Market rate: Upwards of Rs 1 lakh per square
yard
• Men who matter: Office in-charge of Swadeshi
Jagran Foundation A P Khandekar and Chairperson of Sanatan Dharam Pratinidhi
Sabha Manohar Lal
Kumar (RSS activist who lost the assembly elections from Rajouri Garden)
• Stated objective: Religious, but office of SJM
functioning from here
• Says Khandekar: ‘‘Swadeshi Jagran office
shifted here last year from 60, North Avenue. A small Shiv temple has been functioning
here for the past 25 years. The temple people did not have the money for expansion,
so we talked to them and occupied a part of the land. We tied up with them and
expanded. The land was regularised two years ago.’’

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2.Dharam Yatra Mahasangh
• Area allotted: 571.2 square yards at Rouse Avenue
in January 2002
• Price paid: Rs 1,818 per square yard
• Market rate: Rs 96,000 per square yard
• Men who matter: VHP leader Ashok Singhal (Patron)
and former Delhi BJP chief Mange Ram Garg (President)
• Stated objective: Organisation meant to be an
interface between NGOs and government
• Says Publicity Secretary Hitendra Sangal: ‘‘It
is not as if we got this land at a concessional rate. We are doing the shilanyas
for the plot on August 23. The function will be attended by Urban Development
Minister Ananth Kumar and Ashok Singhal.’’

3.Mahamana Malviya Mission
• Area allotted: 1180 square yards in Rouse Avenue
on February 2002
• Price paid: Rs 1,818 per square yard
• Market rate: Rs 96,000 per square yard
• Men who matter: Urban Shipping Minister Ved Prakash
Goyal (Patron) and Samata Party leader and former minister of state Harkishore
Singh
• Stated objective: To propagate views of Pandit
Madan Mohan Malviya and set up an international centre for residents of BHU
• Says Goyal: ‘‘An organisation like
ours has been languishing for years but the mindset of the Congress was such
that even though we tried for years, we could not get an inch of land. Now,
finally, justice has been done and the organisation has got an allotment.’’

4.Toy Bank
Area allotted: A plot in Rouse Avenue
• Price paid: Rs 1,818 per square yard
• Market rate: Rs 96,000 per square yard
• Men who matter: Minister of state in the Prime
Minister’s Office Vijay Goel, founder and chief patron
• Stated objective: To build a toy bank for poor
children.
• Says Goel: ‘‘It is meant for poor and
needy children. In any case all these allotments were made before I became a
minister, so there is no question of favouritism.’’

5.Antarashtriya Sahyog Parishad
• Area allotted: 487 square metres in Rouse Avenue
on November 1, 2001
• Price paid: Rs 1,818 per square yard
• Market rate: Rs 96,000 per square yard
• Men who matter: Founder Dharam Vira, senior bureaucrat
and former governor, Baleshwar Agarwal (secretary general), Manohar Puri, former
spokesperson of VHP (joint secretary).
• Stated objective: To spread Indian culture among
the international community.
• Says Agarwal: ‘‘We got land to make
our centre here. Manohar Puri is associated with VHP but that did not make much
of a difference’’

Debris found in Dal Lake could be from missile Pak fired during Op Sindoor

India1 hr ago

Debris believed to be from a missile fired by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor in May has been found in Srinagar's Dal Lake. The debris has been handed over to the Air Force for further investigation. Sources say the target may have been a military installation in Srinagar, which is close to the lake. The make of the missile is yet to be determined.

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