Varanasi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s Dharm Sabha plan proved to be a non-starter on Wednesday when arrangements made by the Ghazipur district administration and police kept the saffron brigade leaders away from the district. Besides cancelling permission to hold ‘dharm sabha’ in Lanka and Hindu Yuva Vahini’s workers’ convention-cum-membership campaign at Gohna, the administration also foiled VHP workers’ bid to assemble in the district.
VHP patron Ashok Singhal who camped in Varanasi instead of going to Ghazipur, said, “Conversion is the job of Christians and Muslims. It can’t be compared with ‘ghar vapsi’ campaign of the parishad. It is a very old agenda of the VHP and is going on successfully for years and will continue in the future too.”
Earlier, in a tactful move the Ghazipur district administration had sought a written declaration from the parishad in view of its call to hold ‘dharm sabha’ in Lanka on Wednesday to create atmosphere for ‘ghar vapsi’ and Hindu Yuva Vahini’s workers’ convention-cum-membership campaign at Gohna on Thursday. When no satisfactory declaration was received till Tuesday night, DM Ghazipur N S Patel cancelled permission for both the events.
Moreover, the administration released the detained office-bearers of both the organizations from Kotwali police station on Wednesday evening on written assurance that they would not hold any event.
The administration had deployed heavy police and paramilitary forces at Lanka ground, all crossings and religious places in Ghazipur since Wednesday morning to foil any bid to gather or protest by the saffron brigade. This forced the saffron brigade leaders to stay indoors or outside the district despite their claim that they would stage massive protest against the decision of the Ghazipur officials.
Singhal reached Varanasi in the afternoon where he made it clear that none can stop his organization from continuing the programme of ‘ghar vapsi’. “We never force anyone for ghar vapsi. The government should start thinking seriously for introducing a strict law to put an end to conversions,” he said.
He said that “even Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in favour of ‘ghar vapsi’ if it is without any pressure”. He said that if the government overlooks the demand to bring a law to put a check on conversions and moves like ‘love jihad’, the Hindus would become a minority in the country within 50 years.