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| Shankaracharyas' meet to counter VHP moves By Neena Vyas The Hindu NEW DELHI, JAN. 16. Four Shankaracharyas are planning to announce their own `sant sansad' ahead of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's `dharam sansad' scheduled to start on January 19 at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad. The move will surely take the steam out of the VHP show. Reports suggest that VHP leaders have become frantic for if they were to take the Shankaracharyas head-on their claim to speak on behalf of the Hindus or their religious leaders will be fully exposed. The credibility of the so-called `dharam sansad' will be in grave danger. A meeting has been planned on January 17 at the Kumbh Mela grounds where after a discussion on the Ram temple issue and the role of the VHP in politicising this, a decision is expected to be taken to call a `sant sansad' some time later this month, Swami Govindanand, `prachar mantri' (propaganda minister) of the Akhara Parishad, said on telephone from the mela grounds. Efforts were being made to ensure the participation of all the four Shankaracharyas in the `sant sansad' and the date is to be fixed to suit their convenience. Sri Swaroopanand Saraswati of Jyotishpeeth and Dwarkapeeth and Sri Nischalanand Saraswati of Govardhanpeeth Puri have arrived at the Kumbh Mela grounds. The Shankaracharyas of Kanchi and Sringeri, Sri Jayendra Saraswati and Sri Bharati Theertha, are expected in the next few days. ``We have our own model of the Ram temple that is based on the world renowned Angkor Vat temple, and we will tell the people that the VHP is not serious about building a Ram temple at Ayodhya but is more interested in garnering votes for the Bharatiya Janata Party,'' Swami Gopalanand, who belongs to the Panchagni Akhara, said. And a few days ago, Sri Swaroopanand Saraswati confirmed that the Ramalaya Trust set up after the demolition of the Babri Masjid was very much alive and would stake claim to the land for building the Ram temple after a decision is taken by the court. Apparently, all the 26 office-bearers and members of the Akhara Parishad representing 13 major akharas in the country will also be attending the January 17 meeting and the `sant sansad'. Other heads of important religious maths, including the Varanasi Srimath head, Ramanandachari Ramnareshacharya, will be part of the gathering. There is intense resentment among Hindu religious heads against the VHP for tarnishing the demand for a Ram temple with communal politics. They are also angry that by calling their show a `dharam sansad' the VHP was trying to hijack the platform that should belong to the Shankaracharyas and the recognised and acknowledged leaders of the Hindu faith. |
