Under pressure from VHP, Modi puts demolition drive on hold

AHMEDABAD: Under pressure from the VHP, Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi today put on hold demolition drive against unauthorised temples in the state capital of Gandhinagar.

"Chief minister reviewed the demolition drive against unauthorised structures this morning and has decided to put it on hold for time being," sources in the office of chief minsiter said.

The decision comes after a meeting between VHP President Ashok Singhal and Modi earlier in the day. The VHP had demanded that the demolition drive against temple should be immediately stopped.

In the meeting, the VHP leader had conveyed his displeasure over the issue of demolition of temples in state capital and also arrest of VHP worker Ashwin Patel," Secretary of VHP Ranchhod Bharwad told PTI earlier.

Yesterday, after visiting the sites where temples were demolished, Singhal had criticised the BJP government, saying that it was repeating the act of Mehmood Gazani, who had destroyed a number of temples in medieval Gujarat.

The state government authorities are on demolition spree in Gandhinagar, in past one month more than 200 'illegal' temples have been razed here.

VHP is also up in arms against the ruling BJP over the arrest of VHP's state Joint Secretary Ashwin Patel, who was booked on the eve of Diwali for sending defamatory SMSes against Modi.

Gandhinagar district collector Sanjiv Kumar said, "We would not be doing anything as of now".