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.’’ 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’’
