'Centre to demolish 4 temples in Delhi'

New Delhi: The AAP on Tuesday claimed that the BJP-led Central government has initiated a move to demolish four temples in the Delhi's Sarojini Nagar area, accusing the saffron party of playing "bulldozer politics" in the national capital.

Addressing a press conference at party headquarters here, AAP leader Atishi said that the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has sent "demolition notices" to these four temples, warning that people of Delhi would not "tolerate" such "goondagardi (hooliganism)" of the BJP.

The BJP government has served notices for demolition of these four temples without following the "due process" for execution of such an action, the Kalkaji MLA said.

"For the past several days, the BJP is playing bulldozer politics in Delhi. Its leaders and councillors are threatening people of running bulldozer on their houses and shops if they do not pay money to them," she alleged.

"The BJP's hooliganism, extortion and bulldozer politics have now reached the doors of temples in Delhi," she said.

The AAP leader also showed copies of the Union ministry's notices which she claimed were pasted by the authorities at the entrance of three of the four temples — Prachin Shiv Mandir, Sai Mandir in H Block, and Shani Mandir in J Block, in the Sarojini Nagar area.

The AAP had recently said that the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs issued an eviction notice to the occupants of the temple in Delhi's Sriniwaspuri as part of its move to demolish illegal structures on its premises.

Condemning the move, party leaders led by Atishi had held a protest near the Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir in Sriniwaspuri on April 23 and vowed not to let the Centre demolish it.