Will launch new party on June 24, says ex-VHP leader Togadia

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Former Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Pravin Togadia today said that he would launch a new party on June 24.

Speaking to reporters here, Togadia flayed the Narendra Modi government and accused it of going back on its promises and failing to meet people's aspirations.

He rated the Modi government's performance as "minus 25 per cent" and called the PM's foreign policy as "poor".

Togadia said that "selling big dreams was not enough", adding that nation-building was based on "truth of work that has to be seen on the ground".

He said that a huge number of people, associated with the RSS and the BJP, are "baffled" and "upset" as the Modi government is not seen doing anything in "ideological, socio-political and economic issues and was also making U-turns in some instances".

"It had hurt those people who are following the Hindutva ideology," Togadia claimed.

He demanded that the government pass a law in the Parliament to pave the way for the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

He also demanded a ban on cow slaughter, repeal of Article 370 that conferred special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and implementation of a Uniform Civil Code.

Speaking about farmers, he said that the government should give them a minimum support price which is 50 per cent more than the cost of production.

He said that the government's crop insurance scheme had failed as compensation was given to just eight per cent farmers who had filed claims.

He criticised the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train corridor project and said that the money to be invested in it should be used to upgrade the safety aspects of the railways so as to benefit 25 crore passengers.

Togadia had quit the VHP on April 14 this year after former Himachal Pradesh governor V S Kokje defeated his nominee Raghav Reddy in an election in Gurgaon for the post of VHP International president.