VHP accuses UP government of polarising people

The VHP on Thursday accused the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh of polarising people on communal lines by creating "unnecessary controversy" over a Bajrang Dal training camp in Ayodhya.

"The way the state government is going after the Bajrang Dal is ample proof that it is trying to polarise people on communal lines only to benefit in the coming assembly elections," Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Surendra Jain said here in a statement.

"In doing this, the government is only trying to conceal its own failure in stopping terrorist activities in the state and attacks on the Hindus," he added.

Bajrang Dal, the youth wing of the VHP, had organised a "self-defence training camp" in Ayodhya on May 10.

The controversy over the camp was triggered after a video clip went viral on social media showing Bajrang Dal activists taking on and defeating volunteers wearing skull caps to depict terrorists.

Jain's reaction also comes a day after Bajrang Dal leader Mahesh Mishra was arrested on charge of calling members of a particular community as terrorists during 'Shaurya Diwas' celebrations.

Mishra was also accused of exhorting the Hindus at a rally at Karsewakpuram in Ayodhaya a few days back to stockpile weapons and firearms to take on the "terrorist" community.

Jain also slammed political parties for dragging the Centre into the controversy over the issue.

"Now an attempt is being made to communally polarise society and a conspiracy is being hatched to drag a popular and successful union government into the controversy," the VHP leader said.

"Anyone trying to portray it as some sort of a conspiracy hatched by the central government or even remotely associating this with the assembly elections is completely ignorant of the Bajrang Dal's history or is someone who simply revels in creating sensationalism," the VHP leader said.

Defending the Bajrang Dal activities, Jain said it is not the first time that a training camp had been organised.

"For the last 25 years, training camps based on the same principles and curriculum have been a regular feature of the Bajrang Dal activities. This is purely an organisational event," he said.

Criticising those opposing the training camp, the VHP leader said the kind of training provided at these camps is perfectly within the ambit of law.

"Thousands of 'akhadas' all over the country impart the same kind of training and all this is done publicly and nothing is ever kept under wraps," he said.

--IANS

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