'Voice of Sangh Parivar louder after Modi govt assumed office'

Chennai, Jun 15: In one of its most scathing attacks against the NDA government, BJP ally PMK today said the voice of Sangh Parivar has grown "louder" ever since the Narendra Modi government assumed office, and raked up the 2002 Godhra riots among others to assert that the Hindu outfits had done "irreparable damage to India's reputation internationally."

"Ever since Modi's government came to power at the Centre, the voices of Sangh Parivar have become louder threatening the religious harmony in the country," party founder S Ramadoss alleged.

He condemned certain controversial remarks by VHP leader Ashok Singhal in the context of constructing Ram Temple in Ayodhya and recalled that

chief Mohan Bhagwat had earlier made remarks supporting reconversion (Ghar Wapsi) and batted for one religion, Hinduism, in the country.

"These controversial remarks of the chief of RSS, which is the guiding force behind the Government, are endangering the religious harmony and the government should clarify its position on this," he said.

Further, statements are also being made against minorities while there were attempts to erect statues of Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi, Ramadoss said. "The consequences of demolishing Babar Masjid is still haunting us.

The Godhra train incident and the subsequent violence had done irreparable damage to India's reputation internationally," he claimed.

Accusing the government of not acting on the issue, he said, "At this juncture, the irresponsible shower of words from Sangh Parivar and the attitude of the Government to remain as a mute witness to these are not good for our country."

Ramadoss said though the PM had insisted that statements damaging religious harmony should not be made, his ministers and party MPs were not "abiding" by it.

"This was proof that influence of Hindu extremists had grown over the Prime Minister," he said. He said that issues like Hindutva speeches, forced reconversion and imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit "come to our mind" at the end of BJP's first year in office and urged the Central government to stop such "insane behaviour".

"People of India voted Modi to power hoping he will give a corruption-free, efficient administration that will take the nation to the path of growth. Modi should understand that the only way to achieve growth and development is to ensure peace and harmony in the country," Ramadoss added.

PTI