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Singhal sees 'foreign hand' in violence against Christians

Vishwa Hindu Parishad executive president Ashok Singhal has said that there is a 'foreign hand' behind the recent violence against Christians.

The Church, he alleged, has launched a sustained campaign in India and abroad to project Hinduism and India in bad light.

Addressing the press in Jaipur, where he is participating in the three-day meeting of the VHP's governing body, Singhal termed as 'misleading' the reports of attacks on churches in Gujarat.

It was Christians who had attacked Hindu tribals and religious places, he claimed.

According to the VHP leader, the incident of burning the Bible at I P School in Rajkot district was also wrong. ''The newspapers in Gujarat had published their own version of the incident while newspapers elsewhere in the country carried differing versions -- this alone was proof enough,'' he said.

Singhal said that Christian militancy has been on the rise for the past two to three years but had been intensified during the past two to three months.

He alleged that violence was being resorted by those who had been out for propaganda of Christianity in the country.

Singhal said that he had information that some Christian leaders had come into the country from other countries to fuel the violence. The motive was to bring unity among various sub sects of Christians to create conducive atmosphere for conversion and evangelisation programmes in the country.

Singhal said in a bid to project Hinduism and India in bad light it was being propagated that Christians in India were facing threats of atrocities from Hindus and more and more funds were being sought to counter the ''designs.''

The VHP leader alleged that churches were looking towards Asia for their evangelisation programme in the next century as they had not been able to operate in Muslim and Communist countries.

However, due to awakening among Hindus, the success had not been at the desired level and thus with the motive to put Hinduism on the defensive a series of provocations had been seen recently.

In the latest incident, at Galkundi village, Dangs district, Gujarat, on December 26, a Christian sarpanch fired on Hindus indiscrimnately injuring seven people, one seriously. He condemned the incidents and the ''false propaganda'' being launched by the Church against the VHP and its sister organisations.

Referring to the parishad's meeting, opened on Monday in Jaipur, Singhal said that in the opening session the VHP governing body reviewed the ongoing programmes and future strategy. The board of trustees and central executive would meet on Tuesday and on Wednesday.

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