Court stays ban on Togadia, administration cancels permission to his public meeting
By Zaidul Haque, TwoCircles.net,
Kolkata/Raiganj: Two days after Mamata Banerjee government banned entry of Praveen Togadia, VHPleader, in West Bengal, ruling Trinamool Congress and main opposition CPI(M) are speaking in the same tone, very clearly – to stop communal forces from spreading in Bengal.
The West Bengal government had on Wednesday issued a circular prohibiting Togadia’s entry claiming that it “apprehends that his entry will lead to communal tension and disturb public tranquility.”
On expected lines, the decision has been opposed by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and former Union Minister Murali Manohar Joshi along with state BJP.
But CPI(M), on the other hand, came out openly in support of the ban on the “leader of the radical organization like VHP.”
On Thursday, Left Front chairman Biman Basu supported state government’s decision banning Togadia’s entry in Bengal as he said: “West Bengal has a peaceful environment of communal harmony, which is remarkable. So, if religious extremist such as Togadia enter the state, it may disrupt the communal harmony and integrity. So, such people should never be allowed to enter the state.”
Swapan Dasgupta, state secretary of CPI, Manoj Bhattacharya of RSP and Jayanta Roy of Forward Block too supported the decision and said, “The government should always take such decision to stop the entry of communal personalities such as Togadia.” Although they did not subscribe to the manner in which the government issued the circular.
Sultan Ahmed, Trinamool Congress MP and chairman of the West Bengal Minority Development and Finance Corporation, thanked the government and said: “Last one year, Togadia has been moving around in West Bengal and giving communal speeches, which has hampered the peaceful environment in Bengal.”
He further blamed the BJP-aided VHP: “On the eve of Municipal election in the state, this VHP leader Togadia is trying to lure the BJP supporters, which is very injurious to the communal harmony in the state.”
Rahul Sinha, BJP state president, said, “The decision of the state government was for the political benefit of ruling TMC party. The TMC-led government took this un-democratic decision only to appease the Muslim community.”
West Bengal is set to see a number of civic body polls in April starting with Kolkata’s next week and over 80 others later in the month. Ahead of the assembly elections in 2016 in the state, BJP – and its allied groups such as the VHP – have been aggressively trying to gain electoral space in West Bengal. This in turn has led to an intense turf war between the TMC and the BJP, both of which have been fighting for protecting and increasing their respective turf.
Ban challenged; loudspeaker use granted, Togadia’s visit cancelled
On Thursday, the VHP state committee filed a PIL at the Calcutta High Court to cancel the ban on Togadia’s entry in the state. Meanwhile, sub-judicial court of Raiganj in North Dinajpur, put an interim stay on promulgation of section 144 of the CrPC for public meeting at North Dinajpur to be held on April 5.
Earlier the Eastern zone In-Charge of VHP Shachindra Nath Singh had said, Togadia will be reaching on Saturday, April 4 and preside a meeting of VHP at Haryana Bhawan in Kolkata. On Sunday, April 5, Togadia will attend a meeting at Raiganj of North Dinajpur and in the afternoon, leave for Siliguri. On Monday, April 6, he will return to Delhi.
According to media reports, however, Togadia’s visit to the state has been cancelled, but the programmes will continue as scheduled earlier, without him.
“A delegates’ team of BJP will meet Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi with a request to withdraw the ban,” he said.
RSS’ Bhagwat’s clear message
Earlier on Wednesday, April 1, during a felicitation programme of Dina Nath Batra, a right wing educationist activist, in Kolkata, RSS leader Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi had criticized the state government’s decision to ban Togadia’s entry into the state. Joshi said, “Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee should realize that so many Hindu people are living in West Bengal. Her decision to ban Togadia’s entry was never justified. West Bengal government should withdraw the notice.”
The occasion where Bhagwat and Joshi were speaking was a celebration of 125th birth anniversary of the founder of the RSS Dr Keshav Hedgewar here. The programme was organized by a wing of RSS publication division ‘Shree Barabazar Kumarsabha Pustakalay’.
Bhagwat said: “Ancient Indian culture and education system should never be compared with Islam, because Islam is not justified in Indian historical perspective. So, now in every place, we need to appoint pracharaks (canvasser) to enlighten the Hindu culture and education.”
Batra was felicitated with an award ‘Dr Hedgewar Pragya Samman’ for his book ‘Bharatiya Shiksha Ka Swarup’.
Bhagwat also said, “This is the time to implement the ideology of ‘Hindu, Hindu, Hindustan’ around the country through a nationwide education system. People should abide by the Vedic culture and avoid western culture. Every Hindu should try to return to his/her ancient Hindu religious traditions.”
He criticized the Muslim rulers in India and said, “Batra’s education police was needed to make a Hindu-based education system. We need Batra pattern to spread the ideology of Hedgewar. The educational system in India should be kept in the hands of Hindus.”
Joshi said, “Every citizen may abide separately to pray to his/her God, but everyone should remember all Indians are Hindu.”
“Those Muslims who go to Makkah and Madina from India are called there as ‘Hindu-Haji’,” he claimed and advised RSS pracharaks to make India a Hindu-based country. “Without Vedic ideology, India never came to lime light in the world. Vedic ideology can lead India in today’s world too.”