New Delhi: In a fresh offensive against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) J M Lyngdoh, VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) on November 12 charged him with adopting "double yardsticks" vis-a-vis Gujarat even as it asserted its nominees would not contest the coming state Assembly elections on BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) tickets.

Taking exception to Lyngdoh seeking a report from the state government on VHP's 'Yatras' ahead of the polls, the outfit's senior vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore said, "he is going too far to prove his secular credentials, which has come to be identified with Hindu-bashing."

Accusing the CEC of adopting "double yardsticks", he said, "Lyngdoh gave his green signal to elections in Jammu and Kashmir despite widespread terrorist activities but here (in Gujarat) he is objecting to a mere 'Yatra' of Hindu religious leaders."

"VHP is a non-political organisation and everyone has a right to create awareness among their communities," he said and questioned as to why Lyngdoh was not taking note of "political fatwas (edicts) being issued from mosques".

The Sangh Parivar outfit had earlier condemned Lyngdoh's decision to defer polls in the state as a "part of a deep-rooted conspiracy" and referred to his and Congress president Sonia Gandhi's "common Christian background".

Kishore also dismissed reports of VHP plans to contest 30 seats on BJP tickets in coming polls in Gujarat as "mischievous and wrong propaganda and a blatant lie to malign" the outfit.

"As a non-political body, none of our functionaries contest polls and would not do so in Gujarat also. However, if some functionary contests at a personal level, he will not remain an office-bearer anymore," Kishore said.

PTI