The Hindu : Togadia to continue campaign for distribution of 'trishuls'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Apr 23, 2003

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Other States - Rajasthan

Togadia to continue campaign for distribution of 'trishuls'

By Our Staff Correspondent

JAIPUR APRIL 22. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad general secretary, Praveen Togadia, was today released from the Central Jail in Ajmer to a tumultuous welcome by hundreds of BJP, VHP and Bajrang Dal activists outside. He had been granted bail by the Sessions Court on Monday on condition that he would not repeat the offences for which he was booked.

Mr. Togadia, visibly-tired, tried to put up a brave face as his supporters, wearing T-shirts printed with the symbol of the trident, shouted slogans applauding him. A significant number of VHP activists gathered outside the Central Jail were from Gujarat, including many close associates of Mr. Togadia and prime accused in the last year's incidents of violence in that State.

Among others, the State BJP president, Vasundhara Raje Scindia, the VHP vice-president, Acharya Giriraj Kishore, the BJP leaders, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi and Rajendra Rathore, and Mr. Togadia's wife and daughter were present.

The sureties and personal bond for the VHP leader's bail were executed this morning. He was set free around noon after the court order reached the jail authorities. He had been lodged in the Central Jail under judicial custody since April 14 on charges of violating the ban on distribution of modified `trishuls' and disturbing communal harmony by his inflammatory speeches.

However, Mr. Togadia asserted after his release that his campaign for distribution of `trishuls' across the country would continue, as it did not violate any law. He said the prohibition on distribution of tridents amounted to an "assault on the fundamental rights of Hindus''.

Before leaving for Ahmedabad, he told reporters that the "Trishul Diksha'' ceremonies could still be held in a "democratic and constitutional'' way because `trishul' had not been named in the State Government's notification banning the possession, display and distribution of multi-blade weapons.

He refrained from committing himself to the `trishul' distribution programmes in future in Rajasthan and denied that the VHP campaign had anything to do with the Assembly elections. "We have distributed five lakh tridents during the past one decade in Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, where no polls are being held,'' he said.

Ms. Vasundhara Raje Scindia told reporters that the charge of "conspiring to wage war against the State'' levelled against Mr. Togadia was baseless. "Under this logic, a case can be registered even against the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi, for opposing the Central Government,'' she said.

The State BJP chief claimed that the Ashok Gehlot Government had foisted "patently false charges" against Mr. Togadia to divert people's attention from development-related issues. She said the BJP would expose the "anti-democratic'' designs of Congress during its `Parivartan Yatra' being launched in the State on April 27 next.

Meanwhile, three local VHP leaders — arrested in connection with the recovery of 65 `trishuls' from the VHP office in Ajmer before Mr. Togadia's "Dharma Sabha'' — were released on bail by the Sessions Court today.

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Togadia to continue campaign for distribution of 'trishuls'