New Delhi, March 22: As the BJP and the NDA prepare to unveil their manifestos — the former its “Vision Document” and the latter its agenda of governance — the VHP today stole a march over them by presenting its “Hindu agenda for the state of Bharat”.

VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore put his wish-list before the media and quoted Swami Vivekananda to make his point about how “glorious our motherland is”. The relevant quote was: “Each nation has an identity and destiny. As far as Bharat is concerned, Hindu is its identity and religion is its way of working.”

Kishore claimed that rather than “blindly” support a political party, the VHP had decided to help candidates who endorsed and accepted its 11-point agenda, irrespective of their political affiliation. “We sent our agenda to all political parties. Candidates who agree to follow this agenda will get our support. The VHP has decided against support on party lines.”

But the assertion was qualified with so many riders that by the time he had finished speaking, Kishore had unwittingly let out the fact that the VHP would back the BJP. First, he attacked the Congress for patronising what he alleged were “Muslim goondas” in the states it ruled.

In Maharashtra, he said two VHP workers were waylaid by “Muslim goons” last week and on February 28, when Sadhvi Rithambara sought road directions after addressing a meeting in a small town, she was “deliberately” misled by Karnataka police to a hideout of “Muslim goondas”.

“But such things are counterproductive. Hindus have become alert and can react at any moment to the ISI’s network,” said Kishore.

When pointed out that in the last Assembly elections, the VHP cadre had cooperated with the BJP, whether in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh or Chhattisgarh, he said: “Well, if our workers want to back them, we will not hold them back.”

Without taking the BJP’s name, he indicated his disapproval of the party’s efforts to woo Muslims. “Our parties are trying very hard to bring about a change of heart (in Muslims). I don’t believe Muslims are moving closer to us. If they are, it will be a miracle because even Gandhi could not do it and stop Partition. History shows that whenever the hand of friendship was extended, the results were disastrous. Hindus supported the Khilafat movement and had to contend with the Mooplah uprising (in Kerala) in which they were attacked. The direct action of 1946 is manifest today in the form of jihad,” he said

While refusing to draw Atal Bihari Vajpayee into the picture, he expressed scepticism over Pakistan’s peace initiative. “We have no problems with what the Prime Minister does or does not do. We are against the policy (towards Pakistan) and that is a collective policy of the government and not an individual,” he said.

The VHP’s Hindu rashtra blueprint demanded:

• A Ram rajya with an economic welfare programme which would protect each Hindu family, have a job-oriented economy with a thrust on self-employment, no licence raj and an agriculture-based economy

• Restore the “birthplace” of Ram in Ayodhya to Hindus

• Release temples from state control and hand over their management to special “dharmic” councils

• Ban cow slaughter

• Ganga purification

• Eliminate jihadi terrorism and secessionism

• Ban religious conversions

• End infiltration

• Repeal Article 370

• Have a common civil code

• Rewrite history and

• Ensure the safety of Hindus living in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Fiji and West Asia.