The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will not allow the Christian missionaries to distribute relief materials among the quake victims in Gujarat. If the missionaries want to help the needy they should contribute to the Prime Ministers Relief Fund rather than directly distributing the relief among those affected.
This was stated by Mr Vinayak Rao Deshmukh, organising secretary of the central committee of the VHP, while talking to mediapersons at Nangal yesterday evening. He was here to hold a meeting with the local units of the VHP.
Justifying the tough stand of the VHP, Mr Deshmukh alleged that Christian missionaries aim was to convert people in the guise of the relief work. Earlier, after carrying out the relief work in the quake hit areas of Latur the missionaries started distributing propaganda material among the people which led to the communal tensions. Thus, the VHP has now decided to stop missionaries from directly distributing the relief among the victims. The VHP was carrying out the relief operations on large scale and there was no need for help from the Christian missionaries, he said.
He also refuted the allegations that the VHP was neglecting certain communities during its relief operations in Gujarat. Answering a query on the Ram temple issue, he said that the decision regarding it had already been taken in the “dhram sansad” held on January 19-20. A phased programme has been formed to spread awareness and motivate the people for the construction of the temple. The government would also be pressurised to hand over the 70 acres disputed land to the Ram Janmabhumi trust. If the government fails to do so the VHP would start the construction of the temple from March 2002, he said. He also told that the VHP was planning to expand its base throughout the country.