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Stung by militant tag, VHP calls CIA Factbook a ‘fakebook’, wants Modi govt to intervene

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VHP wants the Centre to speak to the US government, threatens to launch worldwide agitation.

New Delhi: The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) Friday called the CIA’s World Factbook — which had classified the outfit and the Bajrang Dal as militant religious organisations — as a ‘fakebook’ and warned that if the tag wasn’t withdrawn, it could adversely impact diplomatic ties between India and the US.

“We are sending a warning to America to stop spreading fake information. If relations between India and the US further deteriorate in the future, America should know that the CIA is responsible for it,” said VHP joint general secretary Surendra Kumar Jain.

On Friday, senior VHP functionaries said they would write to the highest authorities in the government to register their objection to the CIA categorisation. The VHP has also threatened to launch a world-wide agitation on the issue.

“We will seek the intervention of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and will ask the government to speak to the US government,” Jain said.

ThePrint had first reported that the CIA had listed the two Sangh affiliates as militant religious organisations in its annual World Factbook, while it classified their ideological parent, the RSS, as a nationalist organisation.

Spotlight on Hindu Congress

Since the CIA classification, members of the VHP are cautious and wary ahead of the World Hindu Congress, scheduled to be held in Chicago between from September 7 to 9.

The Hindu Congress is to be hosted in the US by the World Hindu Foundation, which is associated with the VHP. Sources said the VHP is wary that its members are likely to be under scanner of intelligence agencies in the US.

Jain, however, said the classification will have no bearing on the event. “It will have no bearing on our World Hindu Congress as we have all necessary permissions to organise the event.”

Not the only grouse

Jain also told ThePrint that the classification isn’t the only thing that the organisation will take up with the government regarding the CIA.

“There is a misrepresentation of the Indian map in their fakebook. They don’t even know what we do,” Jain said. “The CIA is the one that propagated terrorism in the world. They are the ones who trained Osama Bin Laden and are responsible for destabilising governments. This categorisation is a most blatant lie that the CIA is propagating.”

The joint secretary also alleged that the CIA was behind the spate of letters that a number of churches in the country have written to their congregations, perceiving them to be against the Modi government.

“Now we know who is behind churches coming together against the Modi government. The recent appeals are no coincidence,” Jain said.

Jain had earlier said that the letters, alleging a threat to democracy and secularism in the country, was a Vatican orchestrated conspiracy.

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