Bulldozer Politics Hits Alwar Temples in Rajasthan, sparking fire between BJP and Congress. First UP, MP, Delhi and now Rajasthan? It’s dubbed ‘Revenge’ says the BJP.

After three temples in Alwar were recently razed to remove encroachments,’ a political slugfest erupted in Rajasthan. The opposition BJP has criticized the Congress administration for demolishing temples in the ‘name of development,’ A lawsuit against a governing party MLA has also been launched.

The temple priest and the Brajbhoomi Vikas Parishad have filed a complaint with the Rajgarh police station, accusing three people of ‘demolishing the temple in conjunction with the authorities,’ including Rajgarh Congress MLA Johri Lal Meena and the SDM.

The chairman of the Nagarpalika Board of Rajgarh has been handed a notice for the demolition of temples by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Satyanarayana, the board chairman, is a BJP member.

According to the lawsuit, on April 17, a two-and-a-half-century-old temple was bulldozed, but its dome was demolished, and the Shivling was destroyed with a cutter.

Authorities demolished three such temples, according to the complaint filed on Thursday.

In response to the news, BJP leader Amit Malviya criticized the Congress administration for demolishing a “300-year-old Hindu temple in Alwar” in the name of progress.

“A 300-year-old Shiva temple in Alwar, Rajasthan, was demolished in the name of development, “On Twitter, Malviya stated.

He criticized Congress for hurting Hindu feelings. “Shedding tears on Karauli and Jahangirpuri and damaging Hindu religion – this is Congress’ secularism,” he remarked, referring to communal violence in Rajasthan’s Karauli and Delhi’s Jahangirpuri.”

The BJP, on the other hand, has been accused of ‘destroying temples’ by a Rajgarh MLA.

He said that the BJP’s board, the BJP president, and 34 councillors in the Rajgarh Municipality had decided to remove the encroachment.

“In the name of Ram, the BJP blackmails. In the pretext of encroachment, the BJP is demolishing temples, houses, and shops,” he remarked.

Sambit Patra, a BJP official, also slammed the Grand Old Party, saying the recordings from Rajasthan were “extremely unpleasant.” “The way the bulldozer trampled on the Ram temple.” I’d want to emphasize how Congress leaders try to prove that all Hindus are phonies. This demonstrates that they are engaging in vote bank politics with a retribution attitude,” he said.

Meanwhile, according to the party, Alwar BJP Lok Sabha MP Yogi Balaknath would visit the site where the temples were demolished.

In a statement, PCC Chief Govind Singh Dotasara said the BJP and RSS were spreading “false propaganda” about the subject. “The clearing of the encroachment on the shrine we’re talking about began with the previous BJP government.”

The BJP Mandal President had written the Collector a letter. The BJP controls the municipality’s board of directors. “On September 8, 2021, the board of directors passed a resolution to remove the encroachment,” he stated.

The development comes amid high tensions in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri neighbourhood, where skirmishes erupted during a Hanuman Jayanti demonstration last week. As a result of the inquiry, several people have been arrested.

After an encroachment push on unauthorized houses in the neighbourhood, the issue gained national headlines. However, the Supreme Court on Thursday granted a stay on the demolition campaign until further orders, chastising the NDMC for continuing with the destruction despite the court’s instructions to the contrary and warning it would take a “serious approach.”

On the appeal submitted by the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, a bench of Justices L Nageswara Rao and B R Gavai issued letters to the Centre and others, alleging that the buildings of Muslims accused in Saturday’s disturbances were burned.

“Until further order, the status quo shall be maintained… After making scathing remarks about how the demolition was carried out, the court determined that the list would be completed in two weeks and that the pleas would be completed by then.

“We will take the demolition, which was carried out against Supreme Court rulings and after the NDMC Mayor was told, very seriously.” “We’ll discuss it later,” the bench said.

Rajasthan BJP Forms 5-Member Fact-Finding Committee on Alwar Temple Demolition.

An undated video showing a 300-year-old temple demolished in Rajasthan’s Alwar sparked a big uproar on Friday. Building rubble can fill the streets in the footage as rolling bulldozers crush structures, including places of worship, during the anti-encroachment operation.

Taking note of the occurrence, BJP state president Satish Poonia proposed the formation of a five-member committee to investigate the facts surrounding the incident. The committee has been tasked with going to the location and studying the events that led to the area’s demolition.

The event has sparked a political brawl in the election-bound state, with the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP throwing barbs over it.

While the BJP and pro-Hindutva groups accuse the CM Gehlot-led Congress administration of ‘deliberately hurting the sentiments of a particular community,’ calling the demolition revengeful,’ the Congress, on the other hand, blames the BJP, claiming that the Rajgarh Municipality board is run by the BJP and that the state government has nothing to do with the demolitions in the area.’

According to some sources, the local authority carried out the anti-encroachment sweep last week, but the viral footage only surfaced on Friday. Over 150 residences, businesses, and shops in the neighbourhood were reportedly razed to make room for the government’s municipal master plan.

A reported ‘political angle’ has also emerged in the case, with a video of Alwar’s Congress MLA, Johri Lal Meena, allegedly claiming, “The bulldozer would not have functioned if there had been a Congress board in the Rajgarh area of Rajasthan.”

‘Idols must be properly enshrined.’

In reply, Congress State President Govind Singh Dotasara claimed that a BJP-affiliated member decided to clear the land of illegal encroachment of the Rajgarh Municipality Board. He further stated that the state administration would properly re-enshrine the idols.

“Hurting Faith Of Hindus Is Secularism Of Congress,” says BJP, and on the other hand Rajasthan Congress on temple demolition says, “‘We’re more religious than people from BJP.”

ON FRIDAY, the BJP lashed out at the Congress for demolishing a 300-year-old Shiva temple in Rajasthan, claiming that the grand old party’s secularism harms the Hindu faith.

According to Amit Malviya, head of the BJP’s national information and technology department, the secularism of Congress is shedding tears on Karauli and Jahangirpuri and destroying the Hindu faith.

“In Alwar, Rajasthan, a 300-year-old Shiva Temple was razed in the name of development. The secularism of Congress is shedding tears on Karauli and Jahangirpuri and destroying Hindu faith “Malviya sent out a tweet.

According to Malviya, on April 18, the authorities used bulldozers to demolish the homes of 85 Hindus without warning.

“On April 18, the administration in Rajgarh, Rajasthan, pushed over bulldozers on the pucca dwellings and shops of 85 Hindus without warning. In comparison to Jahangirpuri, Are those weeping selectively and labelling the drive anti-minority acknowledging that Muslims are encroachers as well as rioters? “Malviya remarked.

After a communal conflict erupted during the Hanuman Jayanti procession last week, the North Delhi Municipal Corporation dispatched bulldozers to destroy illegal construction and encroachment in Delhi’s Jahangirpuri.

Congress accused the government of undermining constitutional authorities by failing to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling to maintain the status quo on the demolition drive.

Rahul Gandhi, the Congress leader, called it the “destruction of constitutional ideals” and uploaded a photo of the preamble being threatened by a bulldozer.

Earlier, Congress leaders had described the civic agencies and Delhi police’s resistance as brazen disdain and a dangerous precedent of defiance.

After a 300-year-old Shiva temple in Rajasthan’s Alwar district was demolished on Friday, the state’s ruling Congress was chastised by the BJP. On the other hand, Rajasthan Congress minister Mahesh Joshi later stated that Congress is more pious than the BJP. “Regrettably, it has become fashionable to raise issues in the name of temples. We revere temples and are more righteous than BJP members… We don’t have a vote bank based on religion, “He told a news agency.

Earlier in the afternoon on April 22, bulldozers razed a temple in Alwar’s Sarai Mohalla. A complaint has been filed with the Rajgarh Police Station in connection with the incident.

The BJP chastised Congress on the matter, questioning the former’s secularism. Amit Malviya, a BJP leader, asked why Congress was so outraged by the demolition of Jahangirpuri. “In Alwar, Rajasthan, a 300-year-old Shiva temple was razed in the name of development… Congress’ secularism involves crying on Karauli and Jahangirpuri and causing Hindus to lose faith, “He tweeted.

Notably, a video of Congress MLA Johri Lal Meena has surfaced in which he is heard suggesting that the bulldozer would not have run if Congress had been aboard. People are associating the MLA’s statement with the temple’s demolition.

In Rajgarh, there is now a BJP board. In the meantime, Hindu organizations have filed a complaint.

edited and proofread by nikita sharma