‘Will visit every Hindu home, avoid confrontation’ — VHP’s Ram Mandir fundraising chief in MP

After recent violence in Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur, Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri says activists have been told not to be aggressive while trying to raise funds.

Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri | Image: ThePrint Team

Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh has recently witnessed tension, clashes and attempts to damage mosques over a fund-collection drive for the Ram Janmabhoomi temple in Ayodhya. But Swami Akhileshwaranand Giri, head of the state-level committee constituted by the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) to raise funds for the Ram Mandir, has said activists have been instructed not to be aggressive, and to avoid confrontation, “because the agitation for the Ram temple is over”.

“They have been asked not to make the first move,” Giri told ThePrint Thursday.

The committee headed by Giri has been constituted amid reports of violence in Ujjain, Indore and Mandsaur districts during rallies taken out by Hindu activists to create awareness about the donation drive, which is to be conducted between 15 January and 27 February. About 1.25 crore families in 50,000 villages in the state will be tapped for donations.

The awareness rallies have whipped up communal passions, following instances of stone-pelting, attempts to damage mosques, and firing. Most of the recent rallies were taken out without permission, but the local administrations have now been instructed to allow rallies only with permission.

‘Will approach every Hindu household’

Giri, former head of the MP Gaupalan Evam Pashu Samvardhan Board (cow-rearing and animal promotion board) who enjoyed cabinet minister status under Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s previous government, said activists will knock on the doors of every Hindu household in the state to ask for donations, while avoiding Muslim households.

“Our activists will cover every locality in the state, but they will skip Muslim houses because we are expecting funds only from Hindus. If Muslims approach us with respect, acknowledge that Ram belongs to India and believe in him, we won’t refuse donations,” Giri said.

“We won’t encourage Muslims to donate but won’t reject donations from them either. In any case, they have an opportunity to raise donations for their proposed mosque (in Ayodhya). They will run their campaign,” he said, insisting that the activists will avoid Muslim households but will visit every Hindu family in Muslim-dominated areas.

The activists will move in groups called tolis. Giri said attempts will be made to trace old activists who took part in the kar seva or shila pujan programmes for the Ram Mandir decades ago. “We will thank them or the family members of those who are no more,” he said.

The fund-raising tolis will carry literature, depictions of Ram and a model of the proposed temple in Ayodhya.

Organisations like the VHP and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh began laying the groundwork for fund-raising in late October, identifying families that could donate huge amounts.

“Younger activists will go to houses with modest means and seniors will call on people who can pitch in with bigger contributions. Many have already committed contributions ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 1 crore,” Giri said, adding that bigger donations will be accepted by cheques. The funds will be deposited in banks within 48 hours.

Congress in awkward position

The fund-raising campaign has put the opposition Congress in an awkward position. Most senior leaders have refrained from commenting on the recent incidents of violence, to avoid being branded pro-minority.

A delegation of a few Congress legislators did call on the chief secretary and the director general of police to seek investigation into the violence in Ujjain, but none chose to publicise it except Bhopal (North) MLA Arif Masood.

Among the delegation was Mahesh Parmar, the MLA from Tarana in Ujjain, who told ThePrint that he had recently donated Rs 21,000 for the Ram temple.

“What is wrong in contributing for the cause of Ram? We all believe in the deity,” he said, refusing to comment on the recent skirmishes.