VHP lashes out at Communal Violence Bill

KOCHI: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Saturday accused the Congress of following in the footsteps of the British regime which ruled India  with the motto of ‘divide and rule’.“Just like the British oppressed and divided Hindus and ruled the country, the Congress is oppressing and dividing Hindus in the country,” VHP international president Ashok Singhal said while addressing Hindu Ekata Sammelan here.“The proposed Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill-2011 put forth by Sonia Gandhi and her coterie would usurp the rights of the Hindus, as they would be pushed to minority status because of it,” he said. Hindus would lose their freedom with the implementation of the recommendations made by Sachar Committee and the Ranganath Commission, Singhal said. VHP International general secretary Praveen Togadia said the Bill is a licence to Jihadi Muslims for ethnic cleansing of Hindus.  “The Bill establishes Hindus as  guilty. The British had established a few Hindu tribes as criminals. Whereas the National Advisory Council and Sonia Gandhi’s Prevention of Communal and Targeted Violence (Access to Justice and Reparations) Bill-2011 is establishing that all Hindus are criminals,” he said.   Both Singhal and Togadia said Hindus should come together if they have to fight against suppression by Muslims and Christians in this country. “When going to any temple, be it Sabarimala or Guruvayur, Hindus seem to be united. But they are fragmented in the name of politics,” Singhal said. “India is the land of Hindus and if the Hindus remain divided in the name of caste, then they would become a minority in this country,” he said. Stating that the proposed Bill would give an upper hand to Muslims, Togadia said it was unconstitutional. “If the Bill comes into force, then Hindus alone would be the sinners and Muslims can never be the culprits,” he said and added that the Bill should be scrapped and NAC members be prosecuted. On the Centre’s move to provide six per cent reservation to Muslims in the 27 per cent OBC quota, he said the VHP would launch a massive agitation against it.  VHP national leaders Dinesh Chandra, Raghava Reddy, Vedantham, Ramesh Moodi and Balraman were present on the occasion.