THE dual policy of Navin Patnaik Government in Orissa was exposed on March 19 when it arrested VHP general secretary Dr Pravin Togadia at midnight when he was going to Kandhmal but earlier allowed an enquiry team of European Union to visit the same place. Dr Togadia was scheduled to kick off a countrywide campaign for the protection of education and employment rights of SCs/STs/OBCs and other Hindu communities the next day from the samadhi of Swami Lakshmanananda Saraswati, the great saint who served the deprived people of the region for decades.
According to reports, Dr Togadia left for Kandhmal by car at 6.00 pm from Bargarh district of Orissa after participating in a public function on March 19. But the police stopped him at Charichhak under Boudh district. He protested against it and sat on a dharna on the road itself along with other VHP workers insisting to go to Kandhmal. After sometime the police arrested him along with about two dozen other workers.
Strongly opposing the undemocratic act on the part of the state government the local unit of VHP declared 12 hour bandh in Kandhmal on March 20. The state BJP unit also announced support to the bandh. The VHP and Bajrang Dal workers organised protest in different parts of the state and burnt the effigies of Chief Minister Navin Patnaik. Following the protest all over the state and in New Delhi the state government released Dr Togadia at 8.00 am the next day on a personal bond. “Kandhmal is neither the Vatican nor Pakistan and I cannot be prohibited from entering Kandhmal or in any other part of the state. If Naveen Patnaik government can allow European team to visit Kandhmal, how can it put restriction on an Indian citizen like me to visit there,” asked Dr Togadia while talking to Organiser.
After the release, Dr Togadia addressed a huge rally of over 5000 people at Bhanjnagar. He paid highly emotional homage to the late Swami Lakshmananand Saraswati and pointed out that the late saint sacrificed his entire life for the uplift of the Vanvasis and other backward people in the region. But till today, the state government failed to arrest his killers. Not only that, the Central Government is conspiring to snatch away the educational and jobs rights of economically deprived Hindus to pass them on to Christians and Muslims. He said the VHP would not allow it at any cost.
Meanwhile, Delhi Unit of VHP staged a demonstration at Jantar Mantar on March 20 protesting against the undemocratic arrest of Dr Togadia and the move to grant reservation to Muslims and Christians. Shri BL Sharma ‘Prem’ and many other VHP leaders addressed the protestors.
(FOC)
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