VHP yatra row: BJP trying to polarise

Digvijay Singh said it was 'obvious from the day Amit Shah was made the BJP general secretary in-charge of UP

Congress today accused BJP of trying to "communalise and polarise" politics to win elections as a row raged over Vishwa Hindu Parishad's threat to go ahead with its proposed yatra from Ayodhya defying a ban by Uttar Pradesh government while BJP favoured allowing the event.

The Parishad, for its part, wanted Uttar government to reconsider its decision to disallow the yatra.

Congress general secretary Digvijay Singh said it was "obvious from the day Amit Shah (Narendra Modi's close aide) was made BJP general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh. There is nothing new in it....Because that is their agenda--communalise, polarise and try to win an election. That is BJP's formula, BJP's strategy from the beginning".

JD(U) termed as "absurd" VHP President Ashok Singhal's threat to the state government that it will face "adverse consequences" if force was used to enforce a ban on its proposed yatra.

"Who is he (Singhal)? Is he a thekedaar of Hindus? I am also a Hindu. Will he decide for me? What is this VHP?...Who accepts VHP as the leader of Hindus? Who is he to issue threats," party President Sharad Yadav said.

He dismissed suggestions that the Yatra, which is an attempt to garner support for the Ram Temple issue, could lead to polarisation of votes in favour of BJP saying, "kaath ki hanndi baar baar nahin chadhati (you cannot milk an issue again and again)".