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Temple issue: VHP targets Vajpayee

Raipur June 27. Strongly criticising the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, for his stand on the Ram temple issue, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad today opposed any talks with the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board saying that it was not a party to the dispute.

"The VHP is preparing for a big fight on the Ram temple issue, but because of Mr. Vajpayee, 10 Pakistans could be created, as he is engaged in talks with Muslims who do not have faith in the Indian Constitution," the VHP general-secretary, Praveen Togadia, alleged at a press conference soon after inaugurating a two-day VHP working committee meeting.

"In 1908, Mahatma Gandhi surrendered to Muslim fundamentalists and subsequently Pakistan was created. The Vajpayee Government is again talking to those who do not respect the Indian Constitution or the Supreme Court and are a body of fundamentalists," he said. "However, the rank and file of the BJP are unconditionally with us on the construction of the Ram temple, even though some leaders are trying for a deal on the issue," he said.

`Ban conversions'

Later briefing the press on the deliberations of the committee, he said the organisation demanded Central legislation to ban religious conversions, which "had attained alarming proportions in some States".

He said foreign funds were flowing into the country through Christian and Islamic organisations. Stating that an anti-conversion law existed in Madhya Pradesh, Orissa and Arunachal Pradesh, and had also been formulated in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat recently. The working committee meeting, which is being attended by more than 125 delegates from all over the country, adopted a resolution seeking a ban on religious conversions. — PTI, UNI

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