The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) will intensify its Hanuman Shakti Jagran yatras to ensure that it remains at the centre stage of Ayodhya temple politics.
The VHP launched its Hanuman yatras in August but failed to evoke any public response.
The yatras had to be terminated in several places due to complete lack of response form the people as well as the media.
Following the VHP participation in the high powered committee of sadhus and saints in Ayodhya earlier this week, it has now be decided that the VHP will “refurbish and rejuvenate” itself for the final battle for the temple by intensifying the Hanuman yatra programme.
The VHP and its image, it may be recalled, have taken a severe beating in the past five years and its leaders have lost the charisma needed to keep the Hindu passions alive.
“It is a fact that our senior leaders have grown old and are physically not as able as they used to be but it would be wrong to say that the VHP has lost ground. All we need to do is to make a sincere effort and we will regain lost sheen,” said a senior VHP leader.
VHP activists blame the lack of response to their programme on the absence of a motive. “Hindus now have a motive because the court has almost cleared the way for temple construction and we will mobilise our cadres to muster support on the issue,” the leader explained.
To sharpen its campaign, the VHP will play an active role on the ‘Dharma Sansad’ that is being convened in Ayodhya next month to mount pressure on the centre for temple construction.
“The Dharma Sansad will draw the roadmap of future strategy of akharas if the Union government declines to give permission for temple construction,” the VHP leader said.
The VHP will also help in collecting over one crore signatures in support of temple construction and these will be handed over to the Prime Minister next month.
The VHP’s initiative to play a lead role on the temple issue once again, meanwhile, has ruffled many feathers. Mahant Gyan Das, who heads the Akhara Parishad, is said to be upset with the behaviour of VHP leaders and their attempts to take credit for the verdict. “The VHP was not even a plaintiff and its leaders should not meddle too much in these matters. We will resolve the issue between ourselves and the VHP and BJP had better stay away,” said a supporter of the Mahant.