I stopped Vajpayee from removing Modi after Gujarat riots: Togadia
LUCKNOW: President of Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) Praveen Togadia on Sunday claimed that he was the one who opposed the then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s decision to remove then Gujarat CM Narendra Modi after communal riots in 2002.
Togadia reached Lucknow on Sunday as part of his Ayodhya Yatra and held a public meeting at Eco Garden which was attended by a large number of workers.
“Even after four-and-half years, the Modi government has done nothing for the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya. The government must bring an ordinance in the Parliament and make a law for the construction of Ram temple,” he said.
“When Atal Bihari (late Prime Minister) was removing Modi after Gujarat riots, I opposed the decision and protected him,” he said. “When the BJP does not have any issue after four-and-ahalf years (of governance at the Centre) it is raising the temple issue,” Togadia added.
“No Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, no vote (to the BJP in 2019 Lok Sabha polls),” he added.
Togadia also raised the issues of unemployment, law and order, and increasing prices of petrol and diesel. Trying to establish a connection with the crowd, Togadia said: “Have the prices of petrol come down? Have you got employment?” questioned Togadia. The crowd answered in the negative.
Togadia also invoked Mahant Avaidyanath, the guru of UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and Ramchandra Paramhans, who led the temple movement. “Ram Mandir was the dream of Mahant Avaidyanath and Ramchandra Paramhans. It was the temple issue that catapulted the BJP from two seats in 1984 to the present status,” said Togadia.
After the rally, Togadia left for Ayodhya in a four-wheeler.