Dalits pour into Delhi, protest Ravidas temple demolition
Demolition of Dalit temples, Ambedkar statues injustice, says AAP minister
THE DELHI DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY HAD DEMOLISHED THE TEMPLE ON AUGUST 10 ON THE SC’S ORDERS
NEW DELHI: The stretch between Jhandewalan and Ramlila Maidan in central Delhi turned into a sea of blue as thousands of Dalits from various parts of the country hit the streets of the city on Wednesday to protest the recent demolition of a Ravidas Mandir in the national capital.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) had demolished the temple on August 10 on the orders of the Supreme Court.
Wearing blue caps and carrying flags, protesters of all age groups marched from Ambedkar Bhawan in Jhandewalan to the Ramlila Maidan. Traffic movement was affected in some parts of the city due to this.
Protesters, arriving from Punjab, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and other states, demanded that the government hand over the plot of land to the community and rebuild the temple.
The protest in Delhi came a week after a similar protest of Dalits in Punjab on August 13.
The issue has taken a political hue with various parties demanding that the temple be reconstructed either at the same spot in Tughlakabad forest area or at an alternative location.
The gathering in the national capital saw the presence of Delhi’s Social Justice Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam, Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar Azad and spiritual leaders from the community. Gautam said their fight is against the injustice meted out to the community and not against the Supreme Court order.
“I am here as a representative of the community and not as a Delhi minister or politician. We respect the Supreme Court order, but the government should answer why only temples of the Dalit community and statues of BR Ambedkar are being demolished across the country?” he said.
BJP leader and former Union minister Vijay Goel criticised the Aam Aadmi Party for allegedly politicising the issue.
Goel said that he held a meeting with community leaders recently and offered them a solution, but the AAP wanted to score brownie points.
“I have proposed that the temple be built at an alternative place after the approval of the Supreme Court. If they agree, we will take the matter up with the DDA,” he said.