Togadia pipes along, few follow

While Togadia took pains to emphasise that the VHP had no political aims, he ended up asking the audience to punish a Chief Minister who ‘‘rewards cow-slaughterers and punishes cow-protectors’’ by removing him. Much of his speech was a repeat of what he had said earlier in Dhar. But the focus today was on Digvijay and Togadia attempted drawing parallels between Godhra and Ganjbasoda. Just like in the case of Godhra, in Ganjbasoda the provocation of cow-slaughter has been overlooked while the ‘‘natural reaction’’ was made the focus of the action of politicians who are willing to make ‘‘any compromise for Muslim votes’’.

Myth, history and rhetoric was conjoined with Digvijay being overtly compared to Man Singh in Akbar’s court and Jaichand who supported Mohammed Ghauri against Prithiviraj Chauhan. ‘‘Why is it,’’ Togadia asked the audience, ‘‘that 15 per cent of the Muslim votes decide how such politicians behave while your votes, which are 85 per cent, are ignored’’. Digvijay’s policy, Togadia went on to say, was being determined ‘‘by such Salims — the man accused of cow-slaughter in Ganjbasoda was Salim — while Rajkumars and Ramashrays are ignored.’’

He further linked this idea of what he termed ‘‘was pandering to Muslim votes’’ with Digvijay and in general the Congress’ opposition to POTA. He spoke for almost two hours, touching upon Godhra, extremism, cow protection and ‘‘Muslim appeasement’’.

Even as he disassociated himself from political aims, the message was clear. Speaking to the media before the function, he said: ‘‘The fact that neither I nor anyone from the VHP campaigned for the BJP in Himachal makes it clear our aims are not political.’’ But he capped that with: ‘‘I do not wish to comment on the result but you can draw your own conclusions.’’