Hapur: In his first brush with the new dispensation in Uttar Pradesh, firebrand Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Praveen Togadia on September 2 was barred from entering Hapur town but later set his foot there armed with an High Court order and addressed a rally attacking Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav accusing him of indulging in caste-based politics.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav, who always charges VHP with spreading communal hatred, is now himself playing caste and communal politics for gaining votes," Togadia told a public meeting.

Referring to Ghaziabad district administration's ban on his entry into Hapur, he termed it as a "soft measure" against him compared to the police firing ordered by Mulayam Singh government in 1990.

"While terrorists move freely in India, a Hindu leader cannot and his entry is banned," Togadia said in an apparent reference also to the ban on his entry in Patna recently.

Terming Mulayam Singh Yadav as a ghost of Mughal ruler Babar, he said anybody trying to prevent Hindus from taking possession of Ayodhya, Mathura and Kashi shrines would be "uprooted".

Earlier, Ghaziabad administration turned Togadia back as he tried to enter Hapur for distribution of tridents and sent him back to Delhi.

However, the Allahabad High Court, ruling on a petition challenging the ban on Togadia's entry, made easy the VHP leader's trip to Hapur with a rider that he would not distribute tridents.

PTI