HVK Archives: Insensitivity of Swami Agnivesh
Insensitivity of Swami Agnivesh - The Indian Express
Posted By ashok (ashokvc@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in)
Sun, 01 Sep 96 12:37:21 PDT
VISHWA HINDU PARISHAD
36, Piroja Mansion,
Grant Road Station (East),
Mumbai 400 007.
Ashok Chowgule
President, Mumbai Pranth.
September 1, 1996
PRESS RELEASE
FOR FAVOUR OF IMMEDIATE PUBLICATION
INSENSITIVITY OF SWAMI AGNIVESH
We are very pained to read Swami Agnivesh's state-
ment questioning the government's decision to compensate
the families of those who died in the Amarnath tragedy.
The Swami should realise that it is the government's duty
to provide the basic infrastructure. The Swami should
also realise that this is funded from taxes that are paid
for largely by Hindus. The compensation that has been
given is the least that any civilised society can do.
Perhaps the Swami does not know that the individuals
who go for the darshan and pilgrimage to Amarnath pay for
their own trips. Also, the Hindu society contributes
extensively for this trip in terms of the large numbers
of langars and other facilities that various organisa-
tions provide. This is the tradition of Hindu society,
and it will not fail in its duty. It would also seem
that the Swami is unaware that there is a pilgrimage tax
that the government levies in places of importance to the
Hindus. For the Amarnath yatra, the Government of Jammu
& Kashmir had collected Rs 50 per person as registration-
cum-service charge.
Vishwa Hindu Parishad would like to know what are
the views of the Swami in respect to the large subsidy
that the government gives to finance the individual trips
to Haj, and the huge indirect expenditure that it makes
to enable the Muslims to make the trip. Of course, the
practice of secularism would demand that the Swami keeps
his mouth shut on issues of these type.
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