VHP international meet in Kochi

KOCHI:  Preparations have begun for the national delegates’ meet and international conference of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) to be held in Kochi from December 16 to 18. VHP president Ashok Singhal and secretary general Praveen Togadia will attend the conference and address the public conference at Marine Drive on December 17. As part of the national conference, the VHP central core team will meet in Kochi on December 13. In the next two days, there will be a meeting of central secretaries and state organising secretaries. Parishad’s international trust board meeting and governing council will be held at the Pavakkulam temple auditorium from December 16 to 18. After the conference, the central core team will again meet the next day. Religious and community leaders, along with saints, will take part in the conference. As many as 350 delegates are expected to take part in the delegates’ meet which will start at 9 am on December 16. VHP international leaders, delegates from 13 other countries, board of trustees and officials from other states will attend the meet. “The VHP will observe its suvarna jayanti in 2013. We have decided to carry out the celebrations for three years starting this year,” VHP national joint secretary Y Raghavulu told reporters here on Sunday. He said VHP president Ashok Singhal will reach the city on Monday evening while VHP secretary general Praveen Togadia will arrive on Tuesday morning. As many as 25,000 VHP supporters are expected to attend the Hindu Ekatha Sammelan,the public meeting at Marine Drive. The national delegates’ meet will discuss the security of girls in the state, killing of cows and stopping conversion. Lack of moral values in the education system and steps to be taken to protect scriptures will be discussed at the conference. It is for the first time that the VHP’s international board meeting is being held in the city. “The target of the suvarna jayanti celebrations is to increase the VHP’s footprints to two lakh villages. Increasing the number of full-time members to 10,000 is another target,” Raghavulu said.