NEW DELHI, 14 November 2002 — India’s Election Commission yesterday banned the right-wing Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) from holding a rally in the riot-torn Gujarat state to avoid triggering fresh violence ahead of state elections scheduled for Dec. 12.
In an order issued here, the poll body directed the authorities to prevent the VHP from taking out a procession in the state on Nov. 17.
The VHP plans to take its "Hindupat Padshahi Yatra" — or procession to establish Hindu hegemony — from Godhra town to the state capital Gandhinagar. The VHP plans to end the procession on Dec. 6, the anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Mosque at Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh by Hindu fanatics a decade ago.
Over 1,000 people lost their lives in sectarian strife in Gujarat this year and the commission had earlier turned down the ruling Hindu extremist Bharatiya Janata Party’s demand for early polls to the state’s 182-member assembly.
Reacting to the commission’s directive, senior VHP leader Giriraj Kishore said his organization would defy the order and take out the procession as planned.
"It (the ban) is unconstitutional. It amounts to suppressing the voice of millions of Hindus. But we will take out the procession as planned. We will not be cowed down," VHP International Secretary Pravin Togadia said yesterday.
However, the main opposition Congress party welcomed the decision.
"We had wanted the procession to be banned and are very happy that the Election Commission has acted. The rally would have revived bitter feuds and antipathy toward the minorities," said local Congress chief Hasmukh Patel.
A statement issued by the commission said: "The commission has noted with utmost concern the report of the state administration of Gujarat conveying that there is every likelihood of communal tensions and passions getting exacerbated by the proposed yatra (procession) being planned by the VHP."
The commission said the state administration had not ruled out the possibility of law and order problems during the VHP procession.
"The commission has also noted with concern that the proposed rally would involve the use of replicas of S-6 coach of Sabarmati Express that was burned by miscreants on Feb. 27 and the likelihood of communally provocative and intemperate speeches being made in the course of the rally," the statement said.
The death of 58 people, mostly Hindus, in the torched railway coach at Godhra on Feb. 27 had sparked the communal violence in Gujarat.
"In view of the above, the proposed VHP yatra (march) should not be allowed to take place," the commission said.
It said any activity that might aggravate existing differences or cause tension between different communities would vitiate the election process and "seriously jeopardize the law and order situation".
The poll body directed authorities to take "preventive and punitive action" against individuals, parties and groups indulging in "communally incendiary and provocative speeches, posters and pamphlets that incite communal tensions".
During a two-day tour of Gujarat earlier this week, Chief Election Commissioner J.M. Lyngdoh cautioned politicians to behave and desist from stoking communal flames if they wished to escape action ahead of the polls. Lyngdoh, who ended his tour Tuesday, said time and again the code of conduct would be strictly enforced during the election campaign.
