NEW DELHI: AAM Aadmi Party MLAs will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday against the DDA allegedly demolishing a temple in Tughlakabad area.
Party workers from Haryana and Punjab will also take part in the protest, Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said on Tuesday. Gautam said the Centre should take a decision in the matter at the earliest.
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He alleged that the BJP-led central government had stopped the entry into Delhi of passenger trains from Haryana and Punjab in order to stop people coming to the national capital to protest against the demolition.
“The BJP government is trying to annihilate the voices of Dalits regarding this issue. The government resorted to repressive steps like stopping buses and nearly 15 passenger trains from Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan in order to prevent people from joining the protest,” Gautam said.
He said all the AAP MLAs will take part in the protest and will also raise the issue in the Delhi Assembly session starting on Thursday.
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“Despite my letter to the prime minister on August 12 and two days of protests at the BJP headquarters, the central government has not taken any proactive measure to solve the issue of the demolition of the Sant Ravidas Temple,” he said.
The ruling AAP is seeking PM Narendra Modi’s intervention in ensuring that the land is given back to the Ravidas community.
Gautam had earlier alleged that the DDA had demolished the temple and the statue was “taken away”. The DDA, however, did not use the word temple and said the “structure was removed as per the orders of the Supreme Court”.