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The Rediff Interview/Acharya Giriraj Kishore

'As far as the Ram temple is concerned, there is no question of closeness to any party, not even the BJP'

Like any pair of siblings, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bharatiya Janata Party share a love-hate relationship. Both are offspring of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. The BJP became the single largest party in the Lok Sabha riding on the VHP's aggressive brand of Hindutva and is today leading the 17-party alliance that governs the country. But to occupy the Treasury benches, the BJP has had to tone down its rhetoric on certain issues, particularly the proposal to build a Ram temple at Ayodhya, something the VHP swears by.

In an exclusive interview with Amberish K Diwanji, VHP general secretary Acharya Giriraj Kishore declared that his organisation will go ahead with its preparations to build a grand temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya despite the BJP's apparent reluctance.

VHP leader and BJP member of Parliament Vinay Katiyar recently criticised the central government's performance . What are your comments?

Vinay Katiyar was not speaking for the VHP. That was his personal view on the BJP. Today, the BJP is reaping the deeds of the previous governments. For 50 years, previous governments have ruled, and the BJP will need at least 50 months to overcome the situation and correct the misdeeds committed.

Despite the VHP's closeness to the BJP, the latter is unwilling to move fast on the Ram temple, something the VHP holds dear.

The Ram temple is very important to the VHP. As far as it is concerned, there is no question of closeness to any party, not even the BJP. To build a Ram temple, we are willing to take anyone's help. In the past also, whoever helped us move towards a Ram temple, we accepted, and that situation remains.

What is the VHP planning to do about the temple?

The VHP is going ahead with its plans to build the temple. We have several programmes towards that end. For instance:

• we are running a camp to train cadres who have joined us on a full-time basis;
• in late October, there will be a sadhvi sammelan (conference) in Gujarat;
• in November we are planning another sammelan for women of the Durga Vahini [the VHP's women's wing];
• In early December, there will be a ved sammelan while in late December the VHP global trust and the governing council will meet to chalk out future programmes.

All that is fine, but why have you stopped work on the temple?

To build a Ram temple, we need carved stones and pillars. Right now we are busy fabricating them. We have three workshops at Pindvara in Rajasthan and one at Ayodhya. We are planning to open a fifth workshop in Rajasthan from where the stones are being procured.

Within two years, we will have enough carved stones to build the garba griha (sanctum sanctorum). Thus, by 2001, we wish to start constructing the temple.

But the dharam sansad will take a final decision on the construction. If there is a clear signal, we will go ahead, regardless of any and every hurdle. If, however, the dharam sansad decides otherwise, we will hold back. The dharam sansad is the final decision-maker.

The VHP appears to be embroiled in a controversy with the shankaracharyas? Are you interfering in their work?

The VHP has nothing to do with the shankaracharyas. In fact, we insist that no political party should have anything to do with them. We sincerely believe that if any person has been declared a shankaracharya by his predecessor or by a body of shankaracharyas, he is to be respected by all. But what we are against is the mushrooming of shankaracharyas, which is harmful to society, especially Hindu society. We are not, as some media reports claim, aiming to curtail the powers of the shankaracharyas. The shankaracharyas are our dharmacharyas (religious teachers), and the people who guide the VHP.

What are your plans for the Varanasi and the Mathura temple-mosque disputes?

The situation in Varanasi has taken a new twist. The lower courts have recently given a verdict that according to law Hindus can worship at the Gyan Vapi [mosque] because a temple existed there. This has given Hindus the chance to worship and we will certainly avail of it.

In Mathura, the situation is slightly different. The Mathura mosque belongs to the Krishna Janambhoomi Trust. As per the Mathura municipal records, it is the trust that owns the idgah as it pays the taxes and rent for the idgah. The first step is to become de facto owner of the mosque.

A VHP member, B L Sharma 'Prem', recently declared that the rape of nuns in Jhabua was the handiwork of "patriotic Hindu youths". What do you say to that?

Sharma has contradicted the statement. The media misquoted him. Sharma never spoke about the looting of the church or the rape of the nuns in Jhabua. He only gave a description of the designs of Christian missionaries in India.

The VHP has always been complaining about the activities of missionaries. But isn't it involved in social work like the missionaries are?

The VHP is working actively to reform Hindu society. We have the Samajik Samagrah to eradicate caste. Then we are working to remove illiteracy, as mentioned earlier, through our single-teacher schools. We also have service projects in tribal areas. We are setting up dispensaries and hostels for working women. The Bajrang Dal and the Durga Vahini are opposing dowry and television advertisements which create a bad effect on society. We have many such activities.

But what is your success rate?

Of course we have had some successes. Our opposition to the Miss World beauty contest [in 1996] forced the organisers to shift the venue (from Bangalore to Seychelles). Within the VHP, no one asks any other person his or her caste.

But is the VHP willing to stand caste on its head? Will you appoint Dalits as pujaris (priests) in any of the temples you are agitating for?

The VHP is willing to appoint any person as a pujari as long as he is perfect in the Vedas and Shastras. We are running archak vidyalayas (schools to teach devotional songs) and we plan to set up a school to train pujaris and archaks in Delhi in January 1999. There will be no question of caste when anyone wants to enter these schools. And we have already trained 50,000 village pujaris in Tamil Nadu for the village temples.

The Christians are demanding reservations for the Dalits within their ranks. What is the VHP's view on this?

Articles 29 and 30 of the Constitution define the minorities, while another Article defines Christians and Muslims. These Articles give these sections certain rights. Now the Christians claim that all are equal in their religion and it is in the name of this equality that they seek to convert the downtrodden. Therefore, before the Christians demand reservations, the church should declare its caste structure, its upper and lower caste divisions.

One can avail of one facility at a time: either religious minority or birth divisions. The Christians are seeking both. Therefore, demanding reservations for Christian Dalits is wrong. It shows that they have the same disparities as the Hindus. So why should they convert people to their religion?

The Rediff Interviews