Modi on illegal temple demolition drive, VHP fumes

ILLEGAL STRUCTURE: The Gujarat government has razed as many as 80 temples in Gandhinagar.

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Gandhinagar: The rift between Gujarat Chief Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Narendra Modi and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) is widening.

Modi, considered the poster boy of Hindutva, has launched a demolition drive against illegal structures in Gandhinagar and has razed as many as 80 temples to the ground.

The operation, being conducted jointly by the collectorate, forest department and police, is aimed at freeing up roads from illegal structures.

The Bhavnath Mandir Trust on Wednesday filed an application in the Gandhinagar District and Sessions Court, seeking a stay on the demolition of the temple.

"Even assuming that there is an encroachment, still they cannot demolish the temples in this matter. They have to observe the due process of law," said Pinakin Rawal, Advocate, Bhavnath Mandir Trust.

The saffron brigade is already unhappy over the arrest of VHP General Secretary Ashwin Patel that marks a new low in BJP-VHP ties.

To make matters worse, other VHP leaders were summoned by the Gandhinagar police on Thursday and the temple demolition only added fuel to fire.

"A lot of temples have been pulled down. It should not happen. There are so many dargahs on the road, but not one has been touched. We will sit and decide what to do about this," said Kaushik Mehta, General Secretary, VHP, Gujarat.

And it doesn't appear as if the demolition drive will slow down. A survey conducted by the collectorate shows that 107 temples are on main roads and another 312 on interior roads all of which will be removed.

(With inputs from Anoop Kumar Singh)