Centre gave order to run bulldozers at Delhi's Neelkanth temple, claims Atishi

New Delhi, Apr 23: Amid an intensifying row over the demolition of a 300-year-old Shiva temple in Rajasthan, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atishi has shared a letter issued by the Centre ordering the demolition of a temple in Delhi's Sriniwaspuri area.

"BJP's central government gave orders to run bulldozers on Neelkanth Mahadev temple in Srinivaspuri," the AAP leader tweeted.

The letter mentioned that the religious structure was built on government land without any authorisation.

"It is an established fact that this is a government of India/L and DO land and you have unauthorisedly occupied or encroached upon this government land," the letter adds.

भाजपा की केंद्र सरकार ने दिया श्रीनिवासपुरी स्थित नीलकंठ महादेव मंदिर पर बुल्डोज़र चलाने का आदेश pic.twitter.com/mEiTiCJXQu

— Atishi (@AtishiAAP) April 23, 2022

The letter ordered that the land had to be vacated within seven days, failing which the structure will be demolished.

The BJP and Congress on Friday traded charges over the demolition of two temples during an anti-encroachment drive in Alwar district's Rajgarh town this week. Rajgarh is a BJP-run municipality in Congress-ruled Rajasthan.

The BJP targeted Rajasthan's Congress government over the demolition of temples, saying that the party will have to face its consequences. Claiming one of the demolished temples to be 300-year-old, Poonia said in Udaipur that the videos on social media showed a bulldozer demolishing the ancient Shiv temple.

"It is in the public domain that all these actions were taken at the behest of the state government," he said.

Refuting Poonia's allegations, PCC chief Dotasra accused the BJP of misleading people and playing politics over religion.

He said even during the rule of the former BJP government headed by Vasundhara Raje, hundreds of temples were demolished in Jaipur.

Dotasra said the proposal of demolition was passed by the Rajgarh municipality board headed by the BJP which alone is responsible for the demolitions.