New Delhi, Sep 16 (IANS): The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Monday issued a strong condemnation against what it refers to as ‘Jihadi attacks’ during the Ganesh Utsav celebrations in various parts of the country.

In a statement, Dr. Surendra Jain, Central Joint General Secretary of the VHP, expressed deep concern over attacks on more than 18 Ganesh Visarjan events, including instances where idols were reportedly damaged.

The VHP warned that such actions were intolerable and called for an end to attacks on Hindu religious events, including previous incidents during Ram Navami, Mahavir Jayanti, and other festivals.

“These attacks are highly condemnable and intolerable,” he said.

“These attacks on the Hindu community happen not only during festivals but also during Muslim religious programmes like Moharram, Eid-e-Milad and Barawafat,” Jain said.

The VHP leader said that jihadis say that Hindu processions should not be taken out on the roads in front of so-called Muslim mohallas and mosques.

Citing a ruling from the Madras High Court, Surendra Jain emphasised that the roads of India are secular and open for use by all citizens, regardless of their religious affiliation.

He also criticised leaders such as Asaduddin Owaisi, Maulana Madani, and others for allegedly provoking communal tensions. “They should stop provoking their community and should not force Hindus to follow this path,” he said.

The VHP further claimed that acts of hatred, such as disrupting religious processions, attempting to cause train accidents, and other forms of aggression, were manifestations of what it called ‘various forms of jihad', including ‘vote jihad’, ‘love jihad’ and ‘population jihad’.

“Conspiracies to overturn or cause accidents to trains by creating obstructions have come to the fore at about 10 places. At some places urine is being mixed in juice and at some places people are spitting on roti-sabzi”, Jain remarked.

He appealed to Muslim leaders to stop inciting their communities and urged Muslims to follow the example of former President, Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, rather than historical figures like Ghazni, Taimur, and Nadir Shah.