“Modi is the hero of Hindus and that’s why his name is being taken up by the Hindus. What’s wrong with him leading the country,” asked senior VHP leader Ashok Singhal on Sunday.
Pitching for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi as a prime ministerial candidate, Singhal told Express that “the country furiously supports him”.
Speaking at a press conference here, Singhal evaded queries on who would be the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.
“It is up to the BJP to take a decision in this regard,” he said.
However, the VHP leader said: “People of the country support Narendra Modi and everywhere leaders are talking about him leading the country.”
He said the nation needed a Hindu Prime Minister who valued India’s ‘strong traditions’. On whether Modi fits the bill, the VHP leader asked: “What’s wrong with him leading the country?”
Stating that Hindutva is the future of the country and Parliament, Singhal said a Hindu government will be a secular and nationalist government, taking up national issues. “The country needs a Hindu revolution. The Hindu community is the third largest community in the world. We need a Hindu Parliament,” he said.
Singhal said Communism and its ideologies are losing ground in Kerala. “The government should hand over the temples in the state to Hindus,” he demanded.
“When we demand that temples be given to Hindus, there should not be any cow slaughtering and the Ganga river be clean, what is so fundamentalistic in it,” he asked. The VHP is taking up a major initiative to rebuild Ram temple at Ayodhya, Singhal said referring to the ‘Sreerama nama japa yajnam’ to be organised from April 11 to May 13.
“We need to rebuild the Ram temple. The move is aimed at bringing unity among Hindus. All major organisations are taking part in the move,” he added.