New Delhi, Jun 22 (PTI) The AAP and the BJP traded barbs on Thursday over the alleged removal of a grille near a temple in east Delhi’s Mandawali.
The AAP said the BJP is merely an “electoral Hindu party” which attacks temples as soon as elections are over, while the saffron party said the incident has exposed the “anti-Hindu” face of Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Earlier in the day, a row broke out between locals and the authorities in east Delhi’s Mandawali area when the latter allegedly removed a grille encroaching upon the footpath near a temple. It led to rumours that the authorities were there to demolish the temple.
PWD minister Atishi said the permission for the encroachment drive was given by the Delhi Lieutenant Governor despite opposition from the then PWD minister Manish Sisodia. Atishi took over as PWD minister after Sisodia was arrested for his alleged involvement in the Delhi excise policy case.
“The temple being demolished in Mandawali is being carried out on the orders of the Delhi LG. When the file pertaining to this issue was forwarded to the then home minister Manish Sisodia, he had opposed it,” Atishi told reporters here.
“But LG sir overruled Manish Sisodia’s decision. Not just in Mandawali, he has decided to demolish 10 other temples in Delhi,” she claimed.
The Delhi LG has also said that files to demolish temples would be sent directly to him and not the elected government, the minister said.
She also the Aam Aadmi Party was opposed to the encroachment drive and that party workers have been at the spot in Mandawali since Wednesday evening.
Later, addressing a press conference, AAP chief spokesperson Priyanka Kakkar reiterated Atishi’s claims.
She claimed that a 150-year-old Shiv temple on Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, a 50-year-old Hanuman temple in Rajendra Nagar, an old Hanuman temple in Sarojini Nagar, and the Neelkanth temple in Sriniwaspuri were “destroyed”.
“The BJP and the Delhi LG seem to have targeted their efforts to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in Delhi. When will their attacks on temples and Hindus cease? They are hoping Delhi burns, just like the current situation in Manipur! We must question why the BJP engages in such actions and what they aim to achieve by spoiling the harmonious environment we cherish,” Kakkar said.
She also played the video of a press conference by former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia wherein he had highlighted the significance of the temples and adverse police reports regarding their alleged demolition.
The BJP alleged that one of its councillors, Shashi Chandna, was grievously injured during the demolition drive.
Talking to PTI, Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva said, “Not only BJP workers were opposing (the removal of portion of temple), but some of them including two BJP councillors also got injured. This action exposes (Delhi CM) Arvind Kejriwal’s anti-Hindu face.” He said the “unfortunate incident witnessed at Mandawli today is the result of irresponsible and dirty politics of the Arvind Kejriwal government”.
“Today’s demolition of peripheral boundary grill of the temple at Mandawli was planned and executed by Public Works Department (PWD) headed by Minister Atishi,” Sachdeva alleged.
“Atishi after today’s action by PWD tried to pretend that the action has been taken on Lt Governor’s direction, but the fact is that being the minister in-charge for PWD, Atishi very well knew of today’s demolition action yet she never spoke about it before the media. Nor there is anything on record to show that she tried to restrain PWD officials from taking today’s action,” he said. PTI SLB AQS
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