VHP too does its bit

NEW DELHI, OCT 23: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHP today said that the walkout staged by education ministers of non-Bharatiya Janata Part...

NEW DELHI, OCT 23: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad VHP today said that the walkout staged by education ministers of non-Bharatiya Janata Party BJP ruled states in protest against Saraswati Vandana was an 8220;insult to the nation and symbolised hatred towards Hindu society8221;.

The sharp reaction from the VHP came on a day when the BJP8217;s allies, mainly AIADMK chief J Jayalalitha, continued their attack on the BJP8217;s moves to pursue a 8220;sectarian agenda8221;.

Working president of the VHP, Ashok Singhal, told reporters that the meaning of secularism was equal in respect of all sects and communities.

8220;Saraswati, Mahalakshmi, Mahadurga, Ganesh, Mahadev, Ram and Krishna are cultural heritage of Bharat and should be respected as such,8221; he said.

Religion was interlinked with heritage and 8220;if there is an attempt to insult the heritage, it does not reflect the principle of secularism properly. It is the height of communalism,8221; he said.

Singhal concentrated his attack on the Congress and the Left Front fortheir stand on the issue at yesterday8217;s state education ministers8217; conference but ducked questions on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee8217;s silence on the Opposition8217;s criticism. 8220;What the government does is not my concern,8221; he said.

To another question, he said that he was also criticising the BJP8217;s allies 8211; Akali Dal, Telugu Desam Party and the Trinamool Congress for protesting against the Saraswati Vandana.

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Stressing on the education system in accordance with the vedas, he said that Swami Dayanand Saraswati had rightly given the call of 8220;back to the vedas8221;.Meanwhile, the AIADMK, an ally of the BJP, attacked Human Resources Development Minister Murli Manohar Joshi for attempting to 8220;push through a sectarian agenda8221; and said that it was against any proposal which would 8220;erode and undermine8221; the secular credentials of the Constitution.

In a statement from Chennai, Jayalalitha said that her party was not in agreement with any proposal that would 8220;jeopardise8221; the interests of secularism,national unity and integrity.

8220;It is regrettable that the HRD ministry attempted to sneak the agenda through in spite of stiff opposition from various state governments and political parties.8221; 8217;The BJP, the dominant party of the coalition, should realise that it has no people8217;s mandate to push through its own controversial agenda which is not entirely devoid of validity,8221; she said.