Lord Ram unites Sangh Parivar

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Lord Ram unites Sangh Parivar

 

Press Trust of India

Posted online: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 at 0944 hours IST

Updated: Wednesday, July 06, 2005 at 1331 hours IST

 

K S Sudarshan Surat, July 6: Only divine intervention could have

united the sharply divided Sangh Parivar and it happened literally

today following the terrorist attack on the Ram Janmabhoomi in

Ayodhya.

The three-day conclave of the RSS here, which was expected to

redefine the Sangh's relationship with the BJP in the wake of party

president L K Advani's statements in Pakistan last month, which

sought to question the very ideology of the Parivar, concluded that

the message to stop internal bickering and project a united face.

 

Though Advani's statements on Pakistan founder M A Jinnah, Akhand

Bharat and Ayodhya demolition came in for sharp criticism during the

meeting, a terrorist strike paradoxically gave a godsend opportunity

to the entire Parivar to close their ranks and bring back Ayodhya to

the centre stage of national politics.

 

It was the Ram temple movement in the late 80's which catapulted the

Sangh Parivar to the national limelight, culminating in the

demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

 

In a virtual U-turn today, VHP supremo Ashok Singhal, who was among

the first to demand the replacement of Advani and former Prime

Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee with young pro-Hindu leaders following

the party Lok Sabha poll debacle, asserted that the Parivar was

an "abhedya durg" (impregnable fortress).

 

"The Sangh Parivar is an impregnable fortress. Nobody would succeed

in breaking it," Singhal told a press conference today when asked

about the differences in the saffron brigade.

 

Asserting that the Parivar was an insurmountable peak under the

leadership of RSS chief K S Sudarshan and general secretary Mohan

Bhagwat, he reminded the media of their "miscalculation" during the

Gujarat polls and cautioned that any similar attempt to divide the

Parivar would be counter-productive.

 

BJP's worst critic and VHP firebrand leader Pravin Togadia

diplomatically replied that the Parivar comprised the 102 crore

people of India.

 

Both leaders evaded questions on Vajpayee's peace initiative in

Pakistan and Advani's remarks in that country.

 

Sources said the discussion on the current political situation in the

country was expected to be decisive in recasting the Sangh-BJP ties,

but the attack diverted the issue and leaders focussed on drawing a

strategy to mould public opinion in the Parivar's favour.

 

"It was decided that all Parivar organisations would work in tandem

on the issue and leave the differences to be sorted out on a later

date," said a senior functionary.

 

He said the broad emphasis of the meeting was on putting a united

foot forward, avoiding any public criticism of each other, using the

Parivar platform to discuss ideology and maintaining discipline.

 

"The differences were so sharp that the RSS was in a dilemma on how

to resolve it. But the Ayodhya attack, though unfortunate, came as

manna from heaven," the senior pracharak said.

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