Atishi slams BJP over temple demolition plans: ‘Dual face exposed’ | India News

NEW DELHI: Delhi Chief Minister Atishi has intensified her criticism of the BJP, accusing the party of showing its “double face” over its alleged involvement in the planned demolition of temples in the national capital.
Speaking on the matter, Atishi said, “The central BJP government is planning to demolish temples and Buddhist shrines in different parts of Delhi. The double side of the BJP is exposed: they claim to protect Hinduism, but secretly order the destruction of these holy places. . places.”
Atishi described the sequence of events during a press conference, pointing to a meeting of the Religious Committee on November 22. According to her, the committee decided to demolish temples in areas like West Patel Nagar, Dilshad Garden, Seemapuri, Gokalpuri, New Usmanpur and Sultanpuri, along with a Buddhist temple at Sundar Nagari. He alleged that these decisions had been approved by Delhi Lieutenant Governor (LG) Vinai Kumar Saxena.
“Yesterday, the LG’s office told the media that there is no order to demolish the temples. But this is a lie,” Atishi said. “The minutes of the November 22 meeting clearly document the decision to demolish these religious structures. The LG approved these recommendations and officials are now preparing to carry out the demolitions.”
Atishi argued that these actions bypass Delhi’s elected government, claiming that the BJP has manipulated government structures to exclude his administration from the decision-making process. “Until last year, the Religious Committee was under the Home Minister of Delhi. Decisions required the approval of the Home Minister. However, the LG ordered that demolitions of religious places be treated as matters of public order, placing the committee directly under his authority,” she explained.
The Prime Minister also drew attention to the wider implications of the demolition plans, particularly for communities who hold these places of worship in high regard.
“The Religious Committee has decided – upon your instructions and with your approval – to demolish multiple religious structures across Delhi. As you can see, the list of religious structures to be demolished includes many Buddhist temples and places of worship that are revered by the Dalit community “, the Delhi CM said in a letter to the LG on Tuesday.
“Cheap policy,” says LG office
The LG’s office dismissed Atishi’s letter as “cheap politics” and denied any plans to demolish religious structures. The secretariat clarified: “No temple, mosque, church or any other place of worship is being demolished. CM Atishi is trying to distract attention from her and her predecessor’s governance failures.”
The statement added that strict instructions had been given to the police to prevent politically motivated vandalism. The LG’s office cited the peaceful Christmas celebrations in Delhi as proof of his commitment to maintaining communal harmony.
This clash comes amid rising political tensions between the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP in Delhi, with Atishi repeatedly accusing the LG of acting as a proxy for the BJP, ahead of the assembly elections in Delhi, scheduled for early of 2025.