Togadia invites Mulayam to join Ram Sethu's cause

Varanasi, Sep 29 (UNI) A day after former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mulayam Singh Yadav denounced the BJP and Congress for wrongly handling the Ram Sethu issue, VHP general secretary Pravin Togadia today invited Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo to be part of a national movement to save the under-sea bridge from destruction.

''The already launched nationwide movement will be the sequel of the hugely successful Ayodhya movement. But, unlike the Ayodhya movement, which was hijacked by politicians, the movement to save the Ram Sethu will never be allowed to become an electoral hoarding for political parties,'' Dr Togadia told newspersons here this evening.

Mr Togadia, however, added ''Instead of letting any political party join the movement, VHP is making efforts to evoke the participation of individuals in all political parties, who are supportive of our efforts to save the Ram Sethu from destruction under the ambitious Sethusamudram Project.'' ''If Mulayam Singh Yadav is openly blaming the BJP and Congress of making a mess of the Ram Sethu issue, then he should better be a part of VHP's movement. We invite him to join the Save Ram Sethu bandwagon,'' Dr Togadia maintained.

A cardiologist by profession, Dr Togadia, however, made it clear that ''The Ram Sethu issue was deep rooted in the heart of Hindus across the globe and any politician, who joins the movement will have to follow the saints and never harbour any ambition of leading the movement.'' The SP supremo had yesterday, while interacting with mediapersons in Barabanki, reproached both Congress and BJP for handling the Ram Sethu issue with a wrong approach.

''Both Congress and BJP are handling the Ram Sethu issue with a wrong approach. While BJP like always is using all its energy to spread communalism, Congress is befooling the masses through double standards,'' Mr Yadav had maintained.

''No one can challenge the existence of Lord Ram, who is Maryada Purushottam. Those challenging or questioning the existence of Lord Ram are exposing how much knowledge they possess of rich Indian culture and history,'' he had added.

Drawing parallels between Mulayam Singh Yadav of Ayodhya movement and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, Dr Togadia said the TN CM is treading the same parlous path, which Mulayam had followed by ordering to open fire on Kar Sevaks at Ayodhya in 1991.

''Karunanidhi is the Mulayam of Ram Sethu movement,'' he quipped.

UNI