Rejecting the sarsangchalak’s theory, vhp vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore told Outlook: "It was not required of him to say this at this juncture; he (Sudarshan) could have waited, but he made the statement. I don’t know why he said that... I surely didn’t hear the sound of any bomb blast and nor did any blast take place at that time." Kishore sought to play down the controversy by describing it as a statement by a "young leader". Says the vhp leader: "We hold the sarsanghchalak’s post in very high esteem. But at times, an individual and the position that he holds become separate. Especially when one is in his youth. He is not all that old."
At least, two other top leaders—the vhp’s...

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