Ban on VHP's Ayodhya meet unfortunate, says BJP leader

BJP leader Siddharth Nath Singh Tuesday described as "unfortunate, unconstitutional and undemocratic" the Uttar Pradesh government's decision to ban the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's (VHP) Sankalp Sabha at Ayodhya later this week.

Siddharth Nath Singh, member of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national executive and co-incharge of the party affairs West Bengal, said that the Akhilesh Yadav government has acted "on the basis of vote bank politics".

The state government Monday banned VHP's Sankalp Sabha proposed to be held in Ayodhya Oct 18. The meeting was banned in view of security concerns in the region, a senior police official said.

"It is undemocratic and unconstitutional. It was done purely for vote bank politics," Siddharth Nath Singh said.

He said the move was aimed at appeasing the state's main minority community.

The BJP leader said an organisation has the right to conduct a religious programme peacefully.