Several star speakers were missing, the attendance was poor and crowd response close to lukewarm. But there was no let-up in rhetoric at the Sangh Parivar’s first Adivasi Kumbh today.The Kumbh, in Rajasthan’s tribal Banswara district, had been timed to coincide with the 13th anniversary of the Babri Masjid demolition, but failed to live up to its hype, partly because of the dipping temperature.Even so, leaders at the day-long event which was intended as a show of strength for the VHP-RSS combine, iterated their determination to build a Ram temple in Ayodhya.Speaking at a rally to mark the end of the fair, VHP leader Ashok Singhal, who was the main attraction along with Sangh Sarkaryavvah Mohan Bhagwat, said: "We will not compromise on it (building the temple) at any cost."The show of strength was preceded by bhajans at local temples and a big yagna at the local stadium.Construction of the Ram temple figured prominently in the speeches but vitriol was directed in particular at Christian missionaries who are competing with the Parivar for dominance in this belt dominated by Bhils and other tribals."We should be aware of Christians, Communists and the Islamic forces," Singhal warned. He added that tribals were easily influenced by the missionaries because of the poor literacy levels in the region.Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje was expected to turn up at the Kumbh but chose to give it a miss. However three of her senior ministers, including Home Minister Gulab Chand Kataria, were present.But they were not offered seats on the dais, which was occupied by VHP-RSS leaders and several local sants.The VHP had claimed 50,000 tribals would turn up for the kumbh but the actual numbers were much less.Sources said the poor response is likely to force the VHP to scale up its efforts in the area. "This is our new frontier against the forces which believe in forcible conversions. We can’t afford to lose this battle," the local VHP chief said.
