The Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh has positioned itself firmly on the collision course with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad after its leaders announced that they will defy the ban and go ahead with their proposed yatra in the state.
In a fresh development, RSS spokesman Ram Madhav said in Allahabad on Wednesday that RSS activists will also actively participate in the yatra.
The chief minister, it is learnt, has directed concerned officials to draw up a fool-proof plan to stall the yatra and prevent VHP activists from breaching the security cordon.
The move comes in the wake of strong opposition from Muslims who did not appreciate the two-hour-long meeting between VHP leaders and the Samajwadi leadership over the weekend in Lucknow.
The anger among Muslims can be gauged from the fact that senior Uttar Pradesh minister Mohammed Azam Khan who had publicly aired his disapproval on the issue, did not attend the Cabinet meeting chaired by the chief minister on Tuesday.
The state government even announced a 20 per cent reservation in all welfare schemes for Muslims on Tuesday in order to assuage their feelings.
“We are going to seal the borders of all six districts around Ayodhya — Faizabad, Barabanki, Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda, Basti and Bahraich — and barricades will be erected on all entry points. Security will be beefed up in all communally-sensitive districts. Sadhus and saints travelling by road, rail or air will be prevented from reaching Ayodhya. The UP-Bihar borders will also be sealed during the period of the proposed yatra,” IG (law and order) R.K. Vishwakarma said on Wednesday.
The state government has sent directives to all district magistrates and police chiefs, laying down a blueprint for security during this period.
The state government will be deploying 12 companies of PAC in Ayodhya and Faizabad and an additional 12 companies of RAF will be sought from the Centre.