Was Forced To Leave VHP

The BJP has neither delivered on the promise of development nor on the temple issue. Issues related to jobs, education, farmers and small scale industries remain, too.

- Nandini Oza

The rift between Pravin Togadia, former international working president of the Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP), and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an open secret. Togadia had been relentlessly criticising the BJP-led Union government over the Ram temple issue and the uniform civil code, causing much embarrassment to the sangh parivar. And, the red-faced saffron brigade struck. On April 14, his reign over the VHP came to an end when he resigned following the loss of his nominee, Raghav Reddy, in the organisation’s presidential polls. Former Himachal Pradesh governor V.S. Kokje won the election, which was held for the first time in 52 years. Following Togadia’s resignation, Kokje nominated advocate Alok Kumar as international working president.

Soon after quitting the rightwing organisation, Togadia announced an indefinite hunger strike in Ahmedabad. On April 16, a day before he began his fast, THE WEEK met the cancer surgeon at the VHP headquarters, from where he was overseeing last-minute preparations for the fast. Though he has quit the VHP, he still enjoys support among the workers—token fasts were held in Uttar Pradesh, Nagpur and Kerala. Edited excerpts from an exclusive interview:

Was it necessary to resign just because your candidate was not elected as president?

I did not resign; I was forced to leave the VHP. In the new team, I was not given any responsibility.

You are diabetic, and yet you are sitting on an indefinite fast.