- Dharm Raksha Manch to support BJP

By Santosh Chauhan
Haridwar, 9 May: The Dharm Raksha Manch, an umbrella organisation comprising the ‘Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad’, ‘Akhil Bharatiya Sant Samiti’, ‘Acharya Maha Sabha’ and the ‘Vishwa Hindu Parishad’ (VHP), today declared its support to the BJP throughout the country.
Talking with media persons, here, Mahant Gyan Dass, the President of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad and Chief Convener of the Dharm Raksha Samiti said that since the BJP had included in its election manifesto 7 out of 11 points of the agenda of the Manch, they had decided to extend support to the BJP in the ongoing Lok Sabha elections. "We have taken out ‘Dharma Yatras’ throughout the country, including Uttarakhand, to create awareness among the people, regarding the protection of Hindu culture and religion, and the centres and symbols of our faith," he said.
Mahant Gyan Dass said at the meeting of the Manch held in Mumbai on 27 & 28 January, 2009, it was decided that the Manch would support the political party that would promise to implement its 11 point agenda, which included the construction of the Ram temple, the protection of Ram Setu, uniform civil code in the country, abrogation of Section 370 of the Constitution regarding J&K, cow protection, protection of the Ganga and ban on religious conversions. Replying to a question that most of these issues of Hindutva were in the election manifesto of the BJP in the last Lok Sabha polls, also, but the party did nothing to implement these promises, Mahant Gyan Dass said, "The BJP did not have a majority on its own. So it had to compromise on Hindutva with its allies. We appeal to the voters that the BJP should be brought to power on its own so that the Hindutva agenda can be implemented," he said. Mahant Gyan Dass also flayed the Congress led central government for its anti-Hindutva stand in many cases.
Mahant Hari Giri Maharaj, the General Secretary of the Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad and Rajendra Pankaj, a prominent leader of the VHP, were also present on the occasion.
It may be mentioned here that a few days ago the sants and mahants of various akharas, at a meeting held here, could not arrive at a consensus regarding extending support to any political party and had left it to the discretion of the various akharas and the sants affiliated to them to support any political party they liked.