Raje lays Haj House foundation stone amidst rampaging protestors

Jaipur, Sep 20 (UNI) Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje laid the foundation stone of the Haj House in Ramsinghpura area here today amidst rampaging VHP, Bajrang Dal, Shiv Sena and resident protestors who were lathicharged by the police today.

Tension gripped Sanganer area here as police today lathicharged and fired rubber shots in the air to disperse Hindu agitators opposing the proposed Haj House. The protestors say the Haj House will come up on pasture lands where cows graze.

Thousands of agitators, including the residents of the Hinud-dominated Sanganer area, are protesting the foundation laying ceremony of the Haj House by the Chief Minister today.

They started by putting up roadblocks, stone pelting and burning tyres in the area and were joined in by the residents who are also supporting the protest whole-heartedly. The shops have downed shutters in the area.

The police fired four rounds of air shots and 35 rounds of teargas to disperse the violent agitators and let Mrs Raje pass through the area to function venue. The area is still tense.

The Sanganer unit of BJP and its allied organisations had vowed to disrupt the foundation function of the Haj House.

The BJP officials of the areas had not only threatened to boycott the function but have also decided to quit their posts if the Chief Minister goes ahead with the ceremony.

Senior Education Minister Ghyanshyam Tiwari, who is a legislator from the Sanganer area, is also said to be against the proposed Haj House and has kept himself away from the function.

Gulab Chand Sharma, a social worker and a resident of Sanganer told UNI, ''Land for the Haj House has already been allotted in Karbala, near Jaipur during the Congress regime. But the BJP government took the decision unilaterally to build the Haj House in Ramsinghpura area without taking the people of area into confidence.'' The incident has brought the internal differences and squabbles in the ruling BJP to the forefront.

UNI Team SHB VV1650