All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Saturday said both the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are equally responsible for the demolition drive in Rajasthan's Alwar, adding that they should apologise to the public.
"I condemn the decision. The Municipality Board was headed by BJP& Congress govt accepted the decision to demolish the ancient temple (in Alwar, Rajasthan). Congress & BJP both are equally responsible. They should apologise to the public," news agency ANI quoted the Hyderabad MP as saying.
Earlier on Friday, Owaisi took to Twitter and said he believes in "freedom of religion for all religions", adding that the Alwar demolition drive was a "grave violation".
"Condemnable decision by BJP-ruled Municipality Board to demolish a pracheen mandir in #Rajgarh, Rajasthan. We believe in freedom of religion for all religions, and this is a grave violation. Hope BJP-RSS apologises for its attacks on all places of worship," he tweeted.
What is the Alwar demolition row?
A 300-year-old temple was demolished in Rajgarh town of Alwar district of Rajasthan. This was done during an anti-encroachment drive in the town, as a part of which around 150 shops and buildings were also razed.
What is interesting is that even as the opposition BJP tried to rake up the matter, the Congress hit back and turned the spotlight on the fact that the Rajgarh municipality is controlled by the BJP and the decision had been taken by its board. The state government had nothing to do with the demolition drive, it claimed.
Alwar collector Nakate Shivprasad Madan said the proposal was passed by the Nagar Palika board and the action was taken in accordance with the decision of the local administration in the presence of police.
"In the meeting of the board headed by its chairman, a proposal to remove encroachments was passed. The executive officer accordingly issued notices and then the demolition was done," the collector said.
Rajgarh SDM Keshav Meena said the Nagar Palika's executive officer had issued notices to 86 people on April 6 to remove encroachments from the road and they were given time.
The action of demolition of over 100 structures was taken on April 17 and 18, he added.
He further said one temple was completely demolished but the owners of the temples had removed the idols.
The second temple was partially demolished but its sanctum sanctorum is safe, he added.
"The one-km stretch of the road is 50 to 54 feet wide in the master plan but it had been reduced to 25-28 feet at present due to encroachments. Encroachments from half of the road were removed earlier and the remaining encroachments were demolished on Sunday and Monday," SDM Meena said.
Other encroachments were mainly due to shops, he added.
As the anti-encroachment drive triggered the row, Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia accused the Congress of being behind the demolition, while state Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra asserted that it was the decision of the city's municipality headed by the saffron party.
(With PTI inputs)
