Jodhpur: Antarrashtriya Hindu Parishad (AHP) president Pravin Togadia on Thursday said that irrespective of the government at the Centre, the destruction of temples should be avoided. Togadia, who started his four-day Rajasthan tour, also said that his organization would kickstart a helpline for Hindus, which will provide food, medicine, and legal assistance for any Hindu in need.
"Temples should not be broken anywhere. Temples are the center of social, religious, and cultural activities for Hindus. I would request BJP and Congress both to sit together and make sure that temples are not destroyed in the states they respectively rule. For many years now, temples have been broken in many places, and the Alwar incident is one of them," Togadia said.
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His comments come a day after an intense protest by the BJP as well as members of 'Sant Samaj' in the streets of Alwar, in which several BJP leaders alleged that the Rajasthan government, led by CM Ashok Gehlot, was siding with a particular community in Rajasthan. They highlighted incidents such as a state government order to ensure uninterrupted electric supply during Ramzan and the demolition of a 300-year-old Shiva temple in Rajgarh of Alwar district.
The Congress-led state administration had earlier marked the move as part of its opposition against 'encroachment'. The issue, at large, seems to be far from over, with agitated locals raising slogans when Alwar District Collector (DC) Nakate Shivprasad Madan and SP Tejaswini Gautam visited the spot on Monday.
