Pravin Togadia quits VHP; VS Kokje elected new party president
What's the story
Vishwa Hindu Parishad veteran Pravin Togadia quit the outfit on Saturday after his nominee Raghav Reddy lost the party's presidential election, held for the first time since it was founded in 1964.
Former Himachal Pradesh governor VS Kokje won 131 of 192 votes to become VHP's new president. He has nominated Alok Kumar to replace Togadia as the RSS affiliate's new international working president.
Demands
Togadia to fast in Ahmedabad from April 17
After resigning, Togadia, who has been at loggerheads with PM Narendra Modi for decades now, announced that he would fast in Ahmedabad beginning Tuesday.
Among his demands include building a Ram temple at Ayodhya, making Bharat Ram Rajya, a ban on cow slaughter, repealing Articles 370 & 35A in Kashmir, deporting Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims and making farmers debt free.
Quote
'VHP being made to bend for individual whims and fancies'
"It is very shocking and saddening to see such a grand VHP that we all built to this fantastic level being made to bend, not for Hindu well-being but for individual whims and fancies of some powermongers," he said.
Details
Togadia's ouster had been in works since December
Togadia's loss in the lead up to the 2019 general election confirms that his attacks on Modi over betraying the Hindutva cause have no currency in Sangh.
Notably, a section of the RSS leadership first decided in December last year to oust Togadia by making Kokje the party president during a meeting of VHP's board of trustees in Bhubaneswar.