New Delhi: The AAP on Tuesday accused the BJP of trying to stoke and spread Hindu-Muslim hatred — alleging that the BJP-ruled East MCD had approved a plan to demolish a temple in Chauhan Bangad (a Muslim-dominated area) and build a building there. Chief AAP spokesperson Saurabh Bharadwaj said that the BJP administration was deliberately doing this so that it can use this to polarise voters along religious lines in next year's civic polls.
Bhardwaj said, "MCD elections are due next March and just like every election, the BJP has started preparing for this one as well. Whether they be UP elections, Delhi elections of 2015 or the Delhi elections of 2020, the BJP uses the same set of tricks which is to polarise Hindus against Muslims and Christians."
Bharadwaj alleged that after the EDMC demolishes the temple, the BJP would use this to polarise Hindus against Muslims on WhatsApp groups for electoral gains.
The leader also spoke about how when AAP councillors in the EDMC raised questions and exposed BJP's acts of breaking temples for electoral gains, they were suspended by the Mayor of EDMC. He called it a blatant abuse of power and an attempt to instigate riots all around Delhi.
"The East Delhi municipal corporation has put up a board outside the premises of the temple which reads 'the map of this plot has been approved by the EDMC," Bhardwaj said.
However, East Delhi Mayor Shyam Sundar Aggarwal, when asked about it, said the AAP was unnecessarily politicising the issue. "AAP is wrong about this. Yes, the temple is in bad condition, it is very old, over 50 years old. I have seen it as well, but EDMC does not want anyone else to take over the land, as it belongs to the temple, councillors have brought up the issue as well yesterday. We were very happy when EDMC councillors said that they want to protect the temple," he said.
He further explained that due to an online error, maps for a building were approved by the EDMC portal on the temple land but they will be revising those maps soon, correcting the portal's mistake. He added, "We will cancel the plan for building because the map was accidentally passed online. We do not want anyone to take over or occupy the building as it belongs to the temple only."