Indore: VHP (Vishwa Hindu Parishad) today (Oct 17, 2004) said the saffron-alliance had lost the Maharashtra Assembly polls as it had abandoned the Hindutva issue and gave prominence only to development.

"Earlier, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party)-Shiv Sena used to focus on Hindutva along with development, but this time they focussed only on development which resulted in non-aggressive voting by the Hindus in the elections," VHP International general secretary Dr Praveen Togadia told reporters before performing a bhumi pujan for the Swadeshi Mela in Indore.

"There was no difference in the manifesto of BJP-Shiv Sena and Congress resulting in lack-lustre voting by the Hindus in the polls," he claimed.

The saffron alliance's manifesto remained silent on the issue of removing illegal encroachments from the Afzal Khan's memorial and was also silent on the issue of Ram Temple, he said, adding, "which ever party has opposed the Ram Temple movement after 1990, was voted out of power."

"VHP supports only those parties who talked about Hindu's right," he added.

On the credit given to Sonia Gandhi for her "sacrifice" in declining the post of Prime Ministership by Congress and a section of saffron leaders resulting in its gains during polls, Togadia said, "If that was true then why did the party fail to make it in Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat."

"The sacrifice was made by Mahatma Gandhi by not assuming any post and not by Sonia Gandhi, who has become a 'double PM' after her act of sacrifice by becoming the chairperson of the UPA (United Progressive Alliance). I don't consider it as a sacrifice. Those who made sacrifices have nothing to do in politics, they should become sanyasi," he remarked.