india

Updated: Aug 15, 2019 01:32 IST

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Wednesday blamed the central and Delhi governments for the demolition of Sant Ravidas temple located in Tughlakabad area in Delhi.

In a tweet, Mayawati said the demolition of the temple shows the inferiority complex of both the governments toward the Dalit icons and added it also shows that casteist mentality of the central and Delhi government. She said, both the governments should find a solution and start reconstruction of the temple from their own fund. Bhim Army has also announced that it will launch an agitation across the country on August 21 to protest against the demolition of Sant Ravidas temple. Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar said, a nationwide protest will be launched by Bhim Army against the demolition of the Guru Ravidas temple in Tughlakhabad by DDA on the order of Supreme Court.

A day after calling a bandh in Punjab, the Ravidasia community rejected Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri’s offer to build a temple dedicated to Guru Ravidas at a different location from where it was razed on Supreme Court orders and announced that they will hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on August 21.

All India Aadh Dharam Mission president Satwinder Heera and Sadhu Samaj leaders Sarwan Das and Surinder Das announced in Jalandhar on Wednesday that the community will not take part in Independence Day celebrations in Punjab as the demolition of the temple at Tughlakabad in Delhi on August 10 was an attack on its religious freedom.

Rejecting Puri’s offer, the leaders said they wanted the temple rebuilt at the same site as it had historic value. Meanwhile the Delhi government on Wednesday said it had nothing to do with the demolition of the Guru Ravidas temple in Tughlaqabad. Responding to Mayawati’s post on Twitter, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said he felt sad that she held the AAP dispensation “guilty” along with the BJP-led central government.