BJP alleges Neelamani Durga Devi Temple destroyed at the behest of 'evangelist' Andhra CM

Andhra Pradesh BJP in-charge Sunil Deodhar lashed out at Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday over the destruction of Neelamani Durga Devi Temple in Pathapatnam town of Srikakulam district.

Noting that the deity is worshipped by many Hindu devotees of northern Andhra Pradesh and Odisha, Deodhar said that it was shocking to see the temple get destroyed in the name of "road widening". 

"This was done under the leadership of evangelist Reddy. The ruthless demolition of the 'Anjaneya Swamy temple' which is in the premises of the temple is shocking," he said. 

The BJP leader said that procedures should have been followed even if the temple was demolished for road construction purposes. He said that the idol should have been shifted to another location and a place should have been allotted by the Endowment Department. 

"Nothing was followed because this government is anti-Hindu and they don't have any mercy about the Hindu temples," Deodhar alleged. 

BJP launches protest against temple destruction

He said that the BJP will not remain quiet over the incident which was 'deliberately' done to hurt Hindu sentiments and said the party's Srikakulam district is already agitated about it.

Speaking about other temple-related incidents, Deodhar said that the man who vandalized 'Ramthirtham' and the person who burned the chariot of 'Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple' were roaming around freely in the state.

"We demand a serious probe in this and endowment minister should publicly apologize for this misdeed and crime," the BJP leader said. 

(With inputs from agency)