Bajrang Dal, the VHP's youth wing, has faced allegations of rioting and violence against religious minorities in the past.
UP Governor Ram Naik has stirred up a major controversy by voicing his all-out backing for the Bajrang Dal's private army "Hindu Sena" which is being trained to wield lathis, swords and guns, ostensibly in self-defence against "non-brothers" (read: Muslims).
TV channels have aired videos of the sena's mock drills in which the Bajrang Dal's youth cadres are shown putting down terrorists wearing skull caps which clearly identify them as from the minority community. The exercise was part of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) annual camp held at 'Karsewakpuram' in Ayodhya recently.
"There is nothing wrong in conducting such camps. They are only giving training in self-defence," Governor Ram Naik told reporters in Aligarh on Tuesday, adding "it should be continued at all costs".
"There is no harm in self-defence camps, what's important is to understand the intention behind them. All kinds of education teaching self-defence is important and it should be continued at all costs. How can those who can't defend themselves, defend the society? Self defence must be taught in schools and other institutions," Naik asserted.
Bajrang Dal, the VHP's youth wing, has faced allegations of rioting and violence against religious minorities in the past.
Predictably, there has been a strong reaction. The Congress has condemned the entire idea and accused the BJP of communal polarization with an eye on the state polls next year.
"There is no use of creating such an atmosphere in the nation. The people in BJP will now do these kinds of activities everyday to polarise the situation as the elections are round the corner in UP," Congress leader Meem Afzal said.
However, BJP's Rajya Sabha MP and Bajrang Dal founder Vinay Katiyar is at pains to explain that there's nothing communal about the whole exercise. "Terrorists are terrorists. They are neither Hindu nor Muslims," he told reporters on Tuesday. "Our cadres are simply learning to fight terrorists. We have not portrayed them as Muslims. All this is false propaganda," he added.
But, the fact remains that no one can hold training in armed combat without proper clearances. "Prior permission is needed from district authorities for conducting any camp where training in arms and ammunition is imparted.
The trainers also need to be qualified people," says former UP DGP KL Gupta.
In the annual self-defence camp, Bajrang Dal cadres of the Bajrang Dal, the VHP's youth wing, are trained to use rifles, swords and sticks so that they can "protect Hindus" in an emergency situation, according to Manoj Verma who organised the camp.
"We prepare them to boost their self-esteem. This training is of self-defence. They are taught to tackle different situations. This is about self-confidence," Verma said.
Similar camps will be held till June 5 in Sultanpur, Gorakhpur, Pilibhit, Noida and Fatehpur cities in the state.
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